He's Just Not Right For You
by zestychicken2
Summary: Kimiko is a pianist whose life revolves around music and education. Raimundo is a guitarist whose life is hard, and uses music for escape and fun. But when parents don't approve, and people get in the way, can their own music tune the symphony?
1. Prologue: Competition Is Key

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**Kimiko is a pianist whose life revolves around music and education. Raimundo is a guitarist whose life is hard, and uses music for escape and fun. But when parents don't approve, and people get in the way, can their own special channel of music tune out the rest of the symphony?**

**A/N: Holy moly! I am back with a Xiaolin Showdown story, and let me tell you. WOW! I cannot believe that this is actually being written. Thank you again to Stormy Dreamer, giving me the inspiration for more stories!**

**Luckily though, I'll update a lot - the chapters will not be long... At least they shouldn't be too long.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it. But I'd like to own Raimundo... :D**

**Quick Random Thought: They may be a little OOC, but that's just how they're going to be written. Beware It's your warning.**

**Prologue: Competition is Key**

A delicate hand ran down a satin red dress, very faint floral designs imprinted into it. It was strapless dipping into a slight V to outline just below her collarbone. The dress fell to her knees, flaring as it went, a matching red, silk belt tied around her waist in a bow giving her shape.

Her hair was up in an elegant french twist, bangs swept over to one side of her bed, the middle of the strands in front of her face, the ends staying back by her ear. In her hair was a pearl headband, seeing only dots of pearls where her bun began. There was a light shade of natural looking make up swept over her face, the whole outfit complete with black strapped heels, a diamond necklace, and dangling diamond earrings with a matching bracelet.

The backstage was wooden, and had dim lighting with the maroon certains clashing with her dress. She was worried that she was going to screw up, and something would go wrong. Of course she knew that she had the potential to be an absolute beautiful pianist, but she was the youngest to ever graduate the acadamy, at the age of eighteen. Soon she would be off, marrying some man that her father set her up with, and enjoying a life playing at orchestras and having everything handed to her on a silver platter. She might as well say a gold platter - she would definitely be able to have it.

Her thoughts were interrupted and torn apart by a voice echoing in the ceased clapping auditorium, "And our next person up is our most honorable piece tonight. The classics of music history played by the delicate hands of this young woman, our youngest to graduate only at eighteen, and our most successful at that. Please introduce Miss Kimiko Tohomiko!"

He stomach completely drained and her chest tightened as the crowd clapped politely, although eager to hear the wonders of her playing.

_I can do this..._ She thought determined. Walking out on stage, she smiled at the audience, and took her seat at the wooden bench of everything she had worked for since she was young.

??

"And that my dear friend, is how we persuade the crowd!" A blonde with tan skin and a cigarette smirked, leaning in his chair.

He had on a white button up shirt, rolled up to the elbows, and a nice pair of jeans on with black shoes. "We'll be excellent!"

Everyone else nodded in agreement, except one person. His green button up shirt with faded, thin, vertical lines running through it was also rolled up, and he also wore jeans and black shoes. He had a wooden guitar on his lap, and his fingers were mid motion on the strings. They had a few silver rings on them, and the string surfer necklace around his chest clanked against them.

His messy, chocolate brown hair hung infront of his face before he finally shut his emerald eyes and blue upward to make it move, "Do you hear that?" He asked, his voice quiet.

"Hear what, Raimundo? We're trying to get our plan down, and you should really be listening. After this pianist, we're up, and you're singing and playing the guitar. Don't tell me her song has engulfed you so much you forgove you were playing acoustic? And for your information, Pedrosa, you have to tune your guitar still..."

He shook his head and grinned, "Raphael, you play guitar... Tune it for me, would you? I want to see this girl play..." He stood up and handed his guitar off, hurrying up the stairs.

His best friend ran after him, "Are you insane, Rai?"

"Why would I be, Jack? Now come on! You know you want to see her to. You all love seeing the pretty girls play before us..."

"That's true... I guess..." He smiled a shy smile and followed his best friend up the stairs two at a time before they came to the back of the stage.

Carefully, using their sneaking skills, they slide around to the front of the stage where everyone sat, and plopped down in chairs reserved for a party that was convieniantly missing two of their people.

Raimundo looked up into the girl's sapphire eyes, that sparkled with pride that made him smile. There weren't many musicians left that played because they loved the melody and rhythm of the music anymore. They cared about the fame and the riches, but this woman in front of him, only eighteen years old, played for everything Raimundo wanted to play for and be known for.

"Jack..." He whispered, and as his friend leaned over, he never took his eyes off of the Japanese girl.

"Yeah, Rai?" He questioned, surely entranced as well by this girl.

"I'm going to marry her one day..." He smiled, his mind set in a dreamy daze of music and this mysterious girl. "I will marry her..."

??

**A/N: I won't say much but haha, I told you chapters were going to be short! Lol So I hope you liked it... I look forward to everyone reading it and reviewing! I hope you like so far! :D**

**Just one thing... I don't know if I get lots of reviews, I'll go at a fast pace with this story... I'm better at that now :D Lol but... if I don't get a lot of popularity, then it's going to go down my list of priorities! :D  
**

**-zesty-**


	2. 1: Beautiful Disaster

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: Yay! Another chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it, as always, and I know that I have no idea what I'm going to do with this story after this chatper :D Wish me luck, and if you have ideas, let me know!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will... Although, I do own this song **_**Sing Me To Sleep**_** (if I ever put lyrics in there.)**

**Quick Random Thought: I should really check my text messages.**

**Chapter 1: Beautiful Disaster**

"Kimiko, I would like you to meet Mr. Brooks... Mr. Brooks, Kimiko." Her father was aging, with his hair growing grey on the sides, on his eyes squinting as he tried to see through his glasses. His suit still fit him quite well, and he still looked like a huge business man.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Brooks..." Kimiko smiled, and he took her hand, planting a light kiss on the top side of her delicate palm.

"The pleasure is all mine, but please... Call Me Cole..."

"Cole then..." She laughed, and smiled, especially liking the ring of the name. "Where are you from Cole?"

"I own a big gaming company in America... And your father asked if I would come do the honor of meeting you sometime."

"Really?" She glanced over at her father slightly, "That's... Particularily interesting!"

"Kimiko, you sound so much older than you are..." Cole praised, wriggling his way in quickly, "And yet, you are as beautiful as a bouquet of lilies... Truly a rare thing these days, do you not agree?"

"I agree with whatever you say..." She smiled and looked at her shoes, a pink tint finding a place on her cheeks.

"Excellent..." He smiled and tilted his head, his blue eyes catching the light; Kimiko almost had to hold back a gasp he was so beautiful.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, there was something telling her that her father had already said. She would be married to this man, whether she wanted to or not. She remember dreading it for a long time, meeting him, but now she found she couldn't find a better man even if she tried. And that really delighted her - again her father hadn't failed her.

"Ladies and gentleman... Let's welcome our last act of the night... _From Flames To Ash _with the acoustic version of..." The announcer was stopped as someone mumbled something and gave her a slip. Looking up embarassed, her brown eyes apologetic, she smiled, "_From Flames to Ash _with a new song... Sing Me To Sleep."

Everyone clapped politely, slightly irritated young kids with missing classical music were allowed to come and play. On the other hand, some were excited as they would have to be very good in order to come.

Kimiko tilted her head and turned to watch, the shawl slipping from her shoulder slightly. There at the front of the stage was an absolutely _glorious_ preformer.

His brown hair hung in front of his face, eyes closed with lashes resting upon his perfectly smooth cheek bones, as the music completely engolfed him. His voice rang in the hall, stunning all, and capturing the Japanese girl. With eyes widening, she took a step closer, and saw his hands were that of a musician, rough but still soft and smooth. His body was outlined by his tanned skin, and when he opened his eyes, Kimiko's heart was taken.

They were the brightest of emerald she had ever seen, as though someone replaced them with a beautiful gem. The first thing she noticed he looked at was her. For a long while, they stared at each other, and he began to smile as he sang.

"_I know it must be sad, but I ask you please do not weep, even though... This is the last time, you'll sing me to sleep..." _The guitar went into it's own little world, but him right there, he stood, still gazing at her with the utmost wonderful expression the girl had ever seen before.

She was captivated, and that's all she could say... But who was this mystery, she might never see again?

??

"Jack, I'll be back I just need some time!" Raimundo threw his guitar to his redhead friend and whipped around before the pale young adult could say anything.

"Raimundo Pedrosa!" He almost shrieked in distress; they had another show to go to tonight, and he was running off to play Prince Charming, which generally took a few hours...

Weaving in and out of the crowd, even dodging some people carrying instruments, he finally saw her, up on stage talking to someone about the piano. He wondered if it had been hers, or just a borrow, because it was too much time and effort to bring one of her own to this preformance.

"Very well done... I'm acceptionally happy with the way your stay at this school has truly inspired us all!" The old woman, wrinkles creasing the lines by her eyes and on her once flawless cheeks hugged the short teenager, smiling and sniffling as she did so.

"I'm really going to miss it here... But I know I'll stay with music for the rest of my life!"

"I hope you do, Dear..." She sighed and shook her head, as the girl turned back to the piano. "I want you to take this."

"What?" She spun around, her hair whipping slightly behind her, having fallen from it's holdings.

The woman only smiled and made a very light gesture to Raimundo, who stood there waiting patiently at the bottom of the stage stairs, as she turned and walked away.

"Hi..." He said shyly, smiling rather dreamily.

"Hello..." She nodded with a small smile showing shyness.

"So I saw you playing the piano..." He began, scratching the back of his neck, "and... I just wanted you to know, even though you've probably heard this like a thousand times already, that you're really, _really _good."

She laughed for a moment, before walking a little closer, "Well, thanks... Even though I've said that a lot tonight, it still means a lot."

It was his turn to laugh, as he jumped the last three steps to get onto the stage, and moseyed over to her, sticking out his hand. "Raimundo."

"Kimiko..." She gingerly slipped her hand into his, allowing the warmth of his dark skin to illuminate her whole body in a glow she was sure would give her away.

"It's really nice to meet you..." He stepped closer to her, "Could I maybe present to you..." He smirked as his charms kicked in just when he needed them to, "a congradulations gift?"

"You could..." She closed her eyes and leaned in, as did the Brazilian.

When their lips touched, it was like fire and ice had morphed together in the most impossible circumstances, creating an explosion of brilliant colors and dazzling effects. Each felt like they could fly for miles on the kind of shock that electrocuted their veins. It had to be the absolute best thing that had happened to them in their entire lives.

When they pulled away from each other, Raimundo noticed her cheeks were no longer just tinted pink, but were more scarlet than anything. He assumed, from the heat that rushed to his cheeks since she gave him the okay, he was probably blushing the same type of tone.

He stepped back and smoothed out his button up shirt. "It was nice... Meeting you..." He gave her a wink. "Perhaps we could meet up... Again?"

"I would really like that..." Smiling, she plucked a pen off the piano stand, and wrote an organized row of numbers on his hand as he took the pen and gave his cell phone number to her.

"I'm on the move a lot..." He shrugged slightly nonchalant, "we stay in this city most of the time, but if you don't get ahold of me on the first try, please call again."

"Of course..." She smiled as they stared at each other for what seemed like the start of something that would undeniably change their lives.

"Kimiko!" Cole jogged up the stairs, glaring lightly at the Brazilian as he went. "Who is this?"

"This is... Raimundo..."

"Pedrosa." He nodded, smiling slightly. Not at the man of course, but to the girl who stood in front of him.

"Oh well... Lovely," he turned rudely back to Kimiko, "Love, we must be taking our leave here... Your father wants to celebrate with dinner, and you know... Work out details of my staying in England with you after the wedding."

"Of course... Of course..." She glanced at the brunette, who was utterly shocked, and slightly hurt to think he had just been made a fool out of. "Well... Raimundo..." She gave a gentle nod - something Cole did not miss, "It was nice seeing you. Perhaps out paths will cross again..."

Purposely switching sides so her right hand, the one with the number on it, wouldn't get smudged, she turned when Cole was distracted and waved the hand out behind her, mouthing _call me._

A huge grin broke out on the Brazilian's face, just as his best friend almost tackled him down to get him to go.

"Let's _go _you dimwitted idiot! We're going to be late!"

A shake of his long brown hair, and a goofy smirk concluded their first meeting as he jumped down off of stage, and stumbled after the albino.

This would be interesting... Kimiko could tell.

??

**A/N: Okay... Yet another chapter... I hope it wasn't rushed, but there's reasoning behind it. It might not be very good, but it'll pick up. I jsut need a plan lol.**

**Wish me luck and leave some love!**

**-zesty-**


	3. 2: Fighting Already?

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: Sorry the chapters are so short, but I don't wanna just keep going because it was a nice place to stop it you know? So here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: No one cares - I don't own it - If I did there'd be another season blabidy blah.**

**Quick Random Thought: These things are never quick because I take so long to try and figure out what to write.**

**Chapter 2: Fighting Already?**

As quickly as her techno hands could, Kimiko typed the number into the phone, adding the person as "E" into her phone. She figured Cole might know if she put Rai, or even R at that, so E for his astonishing emerald eyes would have to do. She just couldn't forget it.

Slowly she pushed the glass doors open to her apartment, and walked out into the cold night breeze. Her night gown acted as a normal dress, with the exquisite, modern design, and silky texture. Pulling a shall around her shoulders, she leaned over the balcony.

Sapphire eyes scanned the area below, as to wish to see him, his beautiful orbs giving him away even from one hundred stories off the ground. Shaking her head, she stood and stretched, figuring it was a silly thing to even think about. She could barely see the people on the lit street below, let alone point on of them out specifically.

Turned, and pulling her hair out of it's unorganized twist, she allowed it to cascade down her back, the curls flamboyant as they bounced when she shook her head. The traffic she heard from below was her home... And the more and more she thought about it, the more and more she thought she might not like England all that much.

New York was a very excellent place for her in America. It reminded her of Tokyo when she still lived with her father, and in a round about way, when she lived with her mother. Of course, she couldn't remember the woman very well, but it didn't stop her from being sad whenever the thought flowed into her mind.

"Kimiko?" The voice was light, but she knew why it sounded slightly harsh.

Opening her eyes, she saw the blonde leaning against the doorway. He was attractive, as she stated when she met him, but she as she looked at the man more thoroughly, he had his flaws. His eyes were slightly off center, although it wasn't a huge misfortune, it still irritated her, and his voice was gruff, compared to the beautiful and flowing sound of the man who had captured her heart.

And the one that soared above all else, was that he was protective. She could smell it from a mile away. Almost having to hold back an eyeroll, she looked at him, "Yeah?"

"Who was that character you were talking to when I couldn't find you? I had told you to wait by the entrance."

"My teacher..." She narrowed her eyes threateningly, "Wanted to speak with me. Is there a problem with that?"

"No - it's just, that wasn't your teacher."

She rolled her eyes then, unable to help herself anymore, "You know, for just meeting me, you sure are protective..." Kimiko snapped, voicing her earlier thought.

"I have every right to be - we're getting married you know," he said back, cockiness spilling over the limit in his tone.

"I want to like you... For that reason..." Her features softened slightly, "but I can't do that if you're going to try and be my father. I'm a big girl, I know right from wrong, and I can make my own decisions... I know what I'm doing, and you don't have to worry about me."

"When you're talking to men like that..."

That set her off the edge. Neither of them knew Raimundo, but she did know that he didn't deserve to be talked to that way.

"What are you trying to say?" She walked forward, a seductive, but ominous throw in her hips that normally made men faulter.

In this situation though, it did not help, as Cole was already dead set on his opinion of the guy, "I mean he's from a third world country, Kimiko. A filthy rat you shouldn't be talking to..."

She was stunned. It was one thing to comment on someone's culture, as pure racisism would have it, but to downright insult them when he didn't know who he was talking about, or what was going on in his life. He had no right to judge him, and anger flared in her eyes.

"Don't be such an ass, you don't even know him!"

"Neither do you..." He mentioned, taking her right hand and roughly pulling her inside.

Pushing away from him, her voice raised higher, becoming slightly shrill, "I knew him enough from that moment to know that he was definitely _not _someone to judge - it's not fair! You don't know anything about him, and even though I don't either, I have the decency to give him a shot before I start judging him!"

"So you admit you're going to see him again?"

"That's not what I said at all, and you know it!" She snapped, her fuse lit and close to the dynomite.

"You will not... I won't have someone I am going to be wed to running off to go have fun with some boy who wants to use you -"

"Isn't that why you're marrying me?! My father owns the biggest toy company in the world, gathering tens of thousands of fans a day, along with more money than the richest man you could possibly imagine up! And you're telling me, you want to marry me because you believe," the Japanese girl used her hands, cupping them together, and opening them so they were no longer connected at the top, but still at the bottom, "love will _blossom_ out of this whole mess?"

"We're already fighting, look at us... This is pathetic! I should have never agreed -"

"What?" She asked, her anger momentarily vanishing.

"That's right... Your father lost a lot of money in bonds... Something about his partner ditching out on him at the last second, making him pay for everything... That would all vanish if you and I were to get married."

Kimiko's heart seemed to spiral down into oblivian, as her plan to directly leave Cole when she got the chance, and introduce Raimundo to her father at exactly the right time, if her eyes hadn't been too big and him and her actually clicked and liked each other, but now all of that was ruined. She couldn't possibly go against her father on something like this - of course she hated to be used, but he had never let her down... And her letting him down, allowing his whole business to crash would be too heartbreaking to watch.

Turning abruptly, she grabbed her purse and some jeans, a shirt, and a sweatshirt, slipping on shoes and ran for the door, hoping to make it to the elevator before the man could catch her.

Bursting between people still lounging in the hallway, she shoved the articles of clothing into her purse, as it was slightly larger than most would expect, she dashed into view of the elevator.

"Hold the door!" She called down the hallway, as Cole's footsteps behind her gained.

"Where are you going to go?" He yelled, trying to get her to stop. He was angry their relationship had taken a hit so early on, and she wanted it to change - and change fast.

There was a redhead in the small room, hands shoved into his pockets, with almost glowing red eyes that pierced through the girl towards the guy. He placed his hand in front of the door, and waited for the girl to fly by him. After that, he calmly slipped his hand away from the door, watching it close as the man got closer and closer.

"What was that about?" He turned to her, his eyes outlined by black eyeliner, with a confused expression on his face.

She smiled, "The man's a freak, I promise... I was trying to get away from him."

The redhead chuckled, "Don't you hate when people won't leave you alone?"

"You know what it's like then?" Still trying to catch her breath, she glanced at the taller man, smiling slightly at him.

"Of course..." He flashed a toothy smile, before hitting a button on the panel by the shining door, "it's honestly hard not to have gone through that at least once in your life... I think you've just experienced it for the first time?"

"Oh yeah..." She laughed almost awkwardly because her and the guy were talking about her psycho boyfriend trying to stop her from leaving. "I'm Kimiko."

"Kimiko?" He smiled and held out a fingerless gloved hand, "Jack."

"It's nice to meet you, Jack!" She gingerly shook it, her hand barely reaching around his.

"I think I've almost already met you..." He chuckled and ran a hand through his hair, thinking about the ironic part of this situation, "Raimundo kissed you, didn't he?"

She froze for a second. _What kind of a guy did I get into the elevator with? _She asked herself, biting her lip.

"Sorry... I mean, I'm part of _From Flames to Ash... _So I would know him. But he was telling me about you, and let me just comment that his description didn't do you justice."

Either he was a really lame flirter, or didn't realize how wrong it seemed to flirt with a girl your friend liked, "Thanks..." She mumbled, watching the elevator arrow point to what floor they were on.

"He won't get down there... Before you... Incase that's what you were wondering."

"Oh? I thought the stairs would be much faster than this stupid thing..." She laughed, realizing how stupid she must sound considering the fact there were one hundred flights of stairs the man would have to fly down to beat her there.

"It's old! Don't be mean to it!"

"Where are you headed?" She changed the subject, thinking maybe she could get a word with Raimundo in before she headed to her destination.

"The bottom of the complex."

This guy definitely wasn't very intellegent, "I mean... Where are you going?"

"Oh... We're going to preform at a club. You should come along too! He'd be delighted to see you!"

"Um, I think I should pass there..." She smiled politely, "I don't want to get in any trouble, and I should probably go to the destination I was going to go to in the first place."

"Bummer," he shrugged, seemingly nonchalant about the situation, even though he tried to say it was too bad, "Rai would have maybe liked you to explain what you were doing with that guy in the first place."

"Maybe I can make it later, where you going to be?"

"The Fire Pit. We're playing there in about an hour and a half, and are probably going to hang around for a while, if you're going to be there."

"I'm sure you'll be able to find me..." She smiled as the elevator door opened, "Thanks so much for your help upstairs."

"No problem..." He steered away from her, walking on the marble flooring to a hallway going towards the back parking lot. "Maybe I'll see you around!" He waved and disappeared, a large fake plant blocking view of him.

Whipping out her cellphone, Kimiko hit the one button and held it to her ear. The pink clashed with the red she was wearing, as they were rather obnoxiously paired sometimes, but she tried not to let her fashion instincts take over. Brushing through her hair with the other hand, she listened to the phone ring.

"Hello?"

"Keiko!" She almost screamed, "Thank god that you're around. I need help!"

"What's wrong hon?" She asked, more alert than when she picked up the phone.

"My father introduced me to that guy, right?" She questioned, trying to walk quickly out of the building, already knowing her friend's answer.

"Right... Go on! Quick! I'm unlocking my door now, you can come over."

"Thank you! Anyways, and so he was a total sweetheart, but at the concert I met this other guy. He's positively beautiful, and his voice, he was in a band, and I - and he - but then - and he kissed me!!"

The other girl began to squeal, and both of them, over the thin connection line, screaming for a few moments, their happiness together enough to illuminate a whole city.

"I'm so proud of you, Kimi!" She squealed, trying to gather her breath at the same time.

"But then... That guy..." She closed her eyes, "Anywyas in the end of all of this, I can't back out of the marriage because Papa's business isn't going to well, and he needs the money from _this_ guy... And so, I escaped from him but now I need a place to go!"

"Of course you can come here, I know just thing the cheer you up! Come on over, and trust me you'll have a good night."

"Thank you so much!"

"Kisses!" Keiko giggled, and hung up after Kimiko gave her love over the phone as well.

Stopping a taxi, the girl climbed in, yanking the jeans on and T-shirt on, deciding it was too hot for a sweatshirt. On her way, she wondered just how bad of a situation she could have gotten into this day, forced into love, but finding it, all in a matter of fifteen minutes. Shaking her head, she decided to take her best friend's word for it, and not worry...

??

"Kimi!" A hug from her basic twin (minus the fact Keiko had green eyes, and Kimiko had blue), had her laughing already when she walked in the door. "Okay, I want you to put some fun clothes on, we're going clubbing!" She sighed, and began putting her lipstick on dreamily. "There's this really cool place that just opened, and has a band preforming tonight, and supposively, some pretty attractive people are in it!"

She laughed, thinking it a little bit of a coincidence that two people had talked to her about clubbing, "Where to then, Keiko?"

"The place in the heart of New York... What's it called... The Fire Pit!"

Kimiko stopped what she was doing, basically all together.

It was much more than a coincidence now...

??

**A/N: I do not like how grossly written this story is. Oh well... I hope you're all enjoying it anyways! I hope to update soon, so :D Lol leave me some love, otherwise the update will come later!**

**-zesty-**


	4. 3: Beyond Fate It Is

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: So... I know the stories been going very fast for a lot of people - but believe me... It's going to slow down - I had every intention of doing this early on... :D But it'll skip around a lot possibly in time, so beware... And at the request of rolliepollie44, fluff shall be in this chapter!!**

**Disclaimer: I haven't ever owned it for about five years, and I'm not going to start to own it now.**

**Quick Random Thought: It's summer but not hot?**

**Chapter 3: Beyond Fate It Is**

"Raimundo Pedrosa, you're going to _want_ to open up and _beg_ me to get you to go to this club after I tell you what I know."

"What could you, Jack out of all people, know that would interest me? Finally come out as a woman?"

The goth's expression turned slightly irritated, annoyed that his friend just wouldn't come out and talk to him for a moment, "Fine," he grumbled, a bit grudgingly, "I won't tell you about when I bumped into your girlfriend in an elevator -"

Immediately the door opened to reveal the brunette, an oddly interested look plastered on his tanned face, "What happened now?" He opened the door further to allow Jack in, glancing around the green room.

"We're going to leave for that club in about like ten minutes you know..."

"I'm just working on some lyrics. I promise I'll be ready. Now stop stalling! Tell me!"

"You sound like a chick... And you say _I'm_ feminine."

"Well you are - ever heard you scream?" That only earned a death glare to the next level from the redhead, so he sighed, "Okay sorry - that was uncalled for... But will you just tell me? You know that this is your bargaining chip..."

"I talked to her on the elevator... And she was running from this guy -"

"Blonde hair, creepy blue eyes?"

"That's the one!"

"Alright - excellent... Keep going..." He smiled a genuine smile; even though his best friend didn't show it, he really liked when Raimundo was happy, considering it didn't happen very often these days.

The Brazilian's father, who had never really grown fond of his children - or even to be okay with them... He downright hated them, had resentment against their loving mother, and eventually the beatings began. Raimundo had to escape, but unfortunately in doing so, they left all of his brothers and sisters defenseless.

It was the last straw before police stepped in when his closest brother, in age and emotional ties, Felipe, had been in the line of fire, and killed by his own flesh and blood.

It was hard for Raimundo, as he always blamed himself, considering he might have been the one to endure that and being a year older, live, if he had still been there. No one thought it was his fault in the least bit, and even though his father tried pleas with the family, showering them with apologies and money, Raimundo and his family would have none of it. It had changed the brunette for the worse, and it wasn't something he would be able to come back from.

"And then I introduced myself, and wow was she beautiful - you can't describe this girl you think you're going to marry well enough for me to get the right picture!"

"Anyways... The point, Jack?" He anticipated the answer, almost bouncing off of his chair in delight.

"I invited her to this club!" He smirked, his eyes wild with excitement, while the brunette's features slowly dropped, "What? What's wrong?"

"She won't come... She said that, didn't she?"

"Well... She said she didn't plan on it, but if there was time - come on Man, there's still hope!"

"Thanks for trying, Jack..." He chuckled and got up, "I should have never opened the door. You get me so excited as to where I'm having a heart attack," he flashed a grin to show he was joking, "then shoot me down... And you said we were friends."

"I thought you'd be happy! She still might show!"

"I doubt it..." He laughed and walked into the bathroom, "I'm taking a shower! I'll be out in like three seconds!"

"We have to leave!!!" He whined, stomping his foot, then decided against arguing all together as he figured more femi cracks would be thrown at him if he stayed.

Shutting the door as quietly as he could, Raphael walked down the hall, a girl already at his side. "Jack! Go with the flow, relax... You look up tight today..."

"Raph, you are such a whore..." He rolled his eyes, walking by, apparently not in the mood for the joke.

"I am not a whore! Don't you remember Adrenia (she's baaack!)? You know - you met her last week -"

"Yes I remember her, and as far as I'm concerened - she was a whore." He laughed at the shocked expression on the blonde's face. "You may be Raimundo's childhood friend, Raph, but you will never pick out as wonderful women as he does!"

He walked away from the two offended people, even though the dark haired man rolled it off his shoulder, the girl didn't do the same.

??

"Keiko, I don't even want to come..."

"You even said it yourself you were excited to see this boy - now let's see if he meets my standards. Screw your fiancé _and _father... Your best friend's opinion truly matters!" She smiled and winked, pulling the miserable girl into the club.

At that time, the club was dark, dust sprewing everywhere in the multiple colored lights. People danced and chattered, but it was all drown out by the hard music playing up front.

Glancing forward, sapphire eyes automatically scanning the stage, she spotted him, jumping up and down, wooing some girls in the front row, hair in front of his wild eyes. His dress was a lot different now: a black, tight t-shirt, two black, identical wristbands, dark wash jeans, and black converse shoes. His guitar was no longer acoustic, but instead slightly obnoxious, but alluring checkered print all over. His fingers danced over the strings, quickly changing sounds and moving about stragedically with the song.

Keiko tilted her head, eyes widening. "He _is_ cute! Honey, go talk to him!"

"Wha - No! Keiko I -" But she didn't hear the rest of it, only pushed the raven haired girl forward, thrusting her through the throngs of people, shoving lightly past them to get to the front of the stage. Only the people really close were the ones who stopped dancing to admire the people in the band.

In her sparkling, sequence halter top, only held in the back by a string, and dark denim mini skirt, along with bright blue - to compliment her eyes - wedges, she looked up at the boy who had stopped trying to impress everyone, and could only stare at the girl, singing until the song ended.

"Thank you... That was _Permanently Engraved..._" Raimundo nodded at everyone in the crowd, as he bent down on the stage, Jack excitedly bounding over.

"Hi..." She shyly said, a smile gracing her pink lips.

"Ohhh! He is cute!" Keiko squeal from beside her.

"Who's this?" Raimundo laughed, eyes sparkling now with a fondness that only came out when the girl in front of him was around.

"This is my best friend, Keiko!"

Before anyone could say something, Jack stuck out a hand, and from the lighting didn't look so creepy, "I'm Jack... Pleasure to meet you..."

The girl giggled and took his hand, shaking it, her bubly attitude effecting him already, "It's really nice to meet you, Jack!" He liked the way his name rolled off her tongue.

"Well..." He looked towards Raimundo, "How about I buy all three of you a drink?"

"That'd be great! I'm due for one of them, and I know Kimi is too..." Yanking on their hands, she bounded with them towards the bar.

Somehow Kimiko broke lose from her friends grip, and smiled at the brunette, "She's kind of hyper - excuse her."

"It's totally fine..." He smirked slightly, "Jack needs someone around that's a bit happier than he is... I rub off on him far too much."

"From that blush there Raimundo, it seems as though you're happy a lot..." He laughed, the blush on his cheeks deepening.

"Well you know, you tease much more than you're worth..." The brunette joked, eyes light.

"Oh really?" She quirked an eyebrow, crossing her petite arms over her chest, "Much more than I'm worth?"

"Nah... Not really..." He smirked slightly and lead her to the bar, ordering her a drink.

??

A few hours, and a lot of drinks later, all four of them laughed as they sat back down at the bar.

"This has definitely been, by far, the best night of my life!" Keiko laughed, her voice suprano and ringing, teetering back and fourth on her seat.

"Who knew you two chickies could be such fun?" Jack slurred his words together, leaning into Keiko, making her giggle slightly seductive.

"Well... we _had _to let loose sometime, didn't we?" the owner of the voice rolled her eyes, the sequence top being nuzzled by the brunette next to her.

"How loose are you willing to go?" He mumbled into her shoulder, hot breath playing on her neck, sending shivers down her revealed spin.

"Ooooo!" Keiko and Jack looked at each other surprised, and burst out laughing.

"Come on Kimi," she encouraged, "Take a chance!"

"I barely know you..." She rolled her eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Get to know me then..." He was seductive when he was drunk, his eyes more dazzling than normal, and his skin glowing in such a nice way, even in the dim lighting.

Her vision swayed, along with her mind, as people kept encouraging her to take the chance... Of course, with this chance, didn't mean just giving herself to the brunette, who she knew wouldn't simply leave her in a day, but could potentially get her in trouble, it also meant disobeying her father for the first time in her life, and having to hide this foul, but exhilerating move from both formal men in her life.

With a manicured nail, she pulled his chin up from her neck, and locked her lips with him. Slipping her tongue into his mouth, and fisting his hair, both of their friends wolf whistled.

She would give into fate - just this once. Obviously, Cole wasn't on her mind, even when she was sober, and this was one more way to connect them.

"Your place or mine?" He mumbled into her as the broke apart for breath, and she took in a shakily one before answering.

"Mine..."

??

"Kimiko! I don't want to fight with you so let's just -" Cole opened the door to the apartment, bursting in and trampling towards the room.

What he saw was not what he expected to see. In the bed, Kimiko, the sheets pulled over her, was sound asleep in arms of that horrid Brazilian he had met only the day before. With widened eyes, he dropped the vase of flowers he was holding for her, shattering the glass all over the carpet.

_Good_ he thought, _let them step in it! _This sent Kimiko's eyes fluttering open in a panic, and pulling the blanket with her, she sat up, not expecting to see what he saw.

She opened her mouth to explain, but no words would filter through.

Cole only wore an expression that said _You and that mutt will pay for this..._

??

**A/N: Again, I know a lot of you think they just totally got together way fast, but trust me, I know what I'm going to do :D**

**Sorry of the chapter was short or long or whatever it was (I'm too lazy to check word count at the moment) but I hope you enjoyed anyways. I'm off to the beach on wednesday! Yay!**

**Review poppets!!**

**-zesty-**


	5. 4: Something To Go On

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: Okay... So I know that it's going fast, but now it's going to pick up and it's going to go pretty good from here. I hope you all wish me luck and thank you all so very much for reviewing!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it - I kinda wish I did though.**

**Quick Random Thought: I really wish I could draw**

**Chapter 4: Something To Go On**

Kimiko zipped the blue suitcase, and stared at it on the floral bedspread. The sounds if city life had evaporated so high up, as she had shut and locked all the windows, clearing the space she lived in into suitcases that would fit it.

"You don't have to do this..."

The voice was quiet - very faint, as though she hadn't heard it. But it had blown across the room and into her ears, and she knew just who it was. Turning around, she saw _him_ standing in the doorway.

"I know what I have to do, and you can't stop me..." She shook her head and smiled faintly, "I know it's not what you want... But it's what I need. Last night was a mistake that I don't intend on repeating any time soon and hurting any more poeple."

He shook her head, but she floated by him into the bathroom. Instead of replying to the comments she just made with a smart remark, he followed her into the spacious, tiled room.

"Where will you go?"

"I don't know, Raimundo... I don't know," she turned abruptly after checking to make sure she got everything, and hoisted up the handle on her bags, taking four of them (two stacked on the rolling ones).

Her father was waiting for her outside the room, eyes still as furious as they were when Cole reported to him that Kimiko had slept with another man. Especially someone of no formal background, and someone from a third world country.

It disgusted her to no extent. She didn't understand why her father thought that way - but figured it was simply the way business men's minds worked. Shaking her head, she fluttered past him, hurriedly trying to escape before she burst into tears.

The night before had been a major mistake, and giving Cole a key to her apartment had been an even bigger one. Of course they were mad at her, but they didn't blame her so much as she figured they would. Of course, they ignored Raimundo, and expected her to do the same. She would go quietly she decided, only because she needed her father in her life. But she _would_ talk to him about Cole... She would find a way to make it back to Raimundo.

She knew she wouldn't be able to do it easily, and she wouldn't be able to tell Raimundo the plan. She did not know him, and she didn't know what exactly she wanted to do about the fact she slept with him, and on top of that, after last night, didn't know if he was everything she thought he was when they first met.

She still felt a strong bond to him, a magnetic attraction she believe would _never_ go away, and whenever the girl was without him, her heart would throb, but of course her confidence was shattered with the events that were taking place.

A back was placed on her shoulder to lead her along, and despite the slight calls of her name by the Brazilian behind her, she moved steadily towards the elevator.

??

There was one picture he had of her, and that was it. It was pixalated and fuzzy, but he could still make out her gorgeous features and beautiful eyes, raven colored hair pulled back into an exquisite but casual pony tail. He just prayed nothing would happen to his cell phone.

He chuckled darkly, looking at the phone, and shutting it, only to open it and scroll to the picture again. He had been faced with a horrible dilemma of letting the girl he had just met go, or if he should go after her, truly believing maybe something could evolve out of it.

Shaking his head he picked up his guitar and walked to the room next door. He was about to knock, but he heard the sugar - sweet voice of Kimiko's best friend, giggling at Jack's jokes. Sighing, he went outside, the guitar strings almost cutting into his hand.

Sitting on the side of the brick wall outlining the street, as their place hadn't been so far from Central Park, he began to strum a random song, using the first lyrics that came to mind.

In the end, he wished he had brought paper with him - the words weren't half bad. A few people came by and stopped, tossing money into the guitar case, accidentally left open under him.

Grinning a little, leaning over to see the healthy chunk of bills someone dropped, his medallion twinkled in his eyes, catching sun. He smiled fondly, remembering that it was his brother's before he died. He had shipped it to New York as a gift, and a good luck charm, when he had first started the band with the others.

Of course it brought bad memories back for him, but he did want to remember the good times with Felipe, no matter how many bad memories he remembered.

"You're pretty good..." Someone mumbled, looking at him, standing closer than he expected.

He abruptly stopped and smiled, his charming instincts taking over, "Thanks..." Raising an eyebrow, his smile turned to a smirk, "Who are you?"

"My name is Lana!" She held out a hand, trying to balance her purse and bags in her other hand.

"Nice to meet you, Lana... I'm Raimundo..." He smiled at the brunette, who's glowing honey eyes seemed to sparkle with the sun.

"You seem to be troubled... What's up?" She questioned, taking it as her task to get to the bottom of things.

"Well... There's this girl -"

"This will be good, I can tell!" She giggled, and sat down on the edge next to him, watching people walk by and eye the two of them suspiciously.

"She's getting married to someone else."

"Okay bad - who is this guy?"

"He's attractive. I mean, in all respects of being completely female orientated with my decisions - he's hot."

"Interesting..." She gave him a sideways glance, "You know, I know this guy who's getting married to someone, only for the money too..."

"Really? That sounds about right..." He chuckled again, glancing at his phone, looking longingly at the girl in the picture.

"Is that her?" She questioned, her voice softer than it had been before, a hint of shock behind it.

"Yeah..." He nodded, and glanced up at the street.

The jade, tended plants swayed in the wind, flowing with the cool breeze that ruffled everyone's hair, whether they wanted it to or not. The sky was clear, but the grey clouds were rolling in fast. Birds chirped and sang, but were dying down for the storm, as the children of the park laughed and sang, even as they marched out behind their parents.

"My brother is getting married to her!" She suddenly gasped, much to his surprise.

Looking at this girl, she seemed to suddenly have the same features as the blonde who was marrying the girl. The same eye shape, and possibly the same hair texture were apparent now that he studied her.

"Oh my god!" She squealed, jumping up, almost tripping over the case, "This is awful! We have to do something about this!"

"Lana, how can you help?"

"I've got a plan..." She smiled, her face turning slightly deviant as she went, "and even though it's a slightly bad plan, as I've still got to work out a few details, but it will work. My brother as an ass... And wow... You... You're wonderful!" She giggled and turned, her hair whipping in the wind wildly. "I'm going to help you."

??

Kimiko leaned her head against the glass window, watching the cars roll by. She was on a train, ready to leave New York for the day, to stay with Keiko and her family, just until they could settle her into an apartment. She remembered the conversation she had had with her father, who had managed to guilt her into doing what she was told.

Closing her eyes, she replayed the conversation.

??

_"Kimiko please... I know you didn't want it to be like this. I never intended on telling you who you would marry. My business -"_

_"I know..." She mumbled, not being nice, but not being mean either; she knew her father was in trouble and needed help, she just didn't understand why she had to be the one to help him._

_"I'm so sorry things turned out like this, but if I could have just..." He looked down at his hands, slowly clasping themselves into fists._

_She put her delicate hand on his, smiling slightly, trying to cheer him up, "Papa... You know I want to help you, but Cole. I just... I can't -"_

_She stopped there, seeing the hurt expression being plastered permanently onto his face, "I don't love him..." She managed to whisper, turning around._

_"Do this... For me... Even if it's just temperary..."_

_That was the word that had sold her. It didn't have to be forever, and then she would find her way back to Raimundo if she wanted. Maybe she would fall for Cole... Even though she doubted it sincerely, she would try and find a way back into New York, of course having Keiko go with her, just to see the brunette and talk things out._

_It may not have gone how she planned, but a plan B was being concocted in her head as she hugged her father and watched him walk out, looking more old than he had in a very long time..._

_??_

"I will find him again..." She made that promise to herself right then and there, even if, in the future, she did not want it.

**??**

**A/N: Okay, I know that was short... And it was a little random, but there I just introduced my like first OC that wasn't an evil being... Lol**

**I'd like you all to know that this will pick up - I had this wonderful idea that I forgot half way through the chapter, which is the excuse for it's shortness.**

**But please leave me some love, and I'll update once more! Thanks so very much! You know you're the only people keeping me going!**

**-zesty-**


	6. 5: And So It Might Seem

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: Well... I know this story probably has a lot of questions right now but... It'll all work out, I assure you :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it - nor will I ever.**

**Quick Random Thought: I really want a Nitendo DS**

**Chapter 5: And So It Might Seem...**

"_E, G, B, F. E, G, B, F. E, G, B, F. B, G, B, G. D, B, G, E. D, D. B, B, E, F..."_

"It's all nonsense if you ask me..." The blonde scoffed, obviously irritated with what was just named off.

"Of _course_ it would be nonsense to you..." The Japanese girl glared, her green eyes sparkling with a distaste she was not concerned about hiding. "Kimiko, I thought it was lovely..."

"It was just a simple outline, Cole... It'll get better once I'm finished."

"Composing your own music is silly," he informed, as though it were obvious, "Certainly, with the amount of money I'm making, there won't be a need for you to work!"

This allowed Keiko to snort, standing up and putting her delicate hands on Kimiko's shoulders protectively, "Don't you listen to him, Love. He's trying to taint you into not working - doing what you love mind you - for the rest of your fine amount of days. I hope he's squashed under a truck!" She hissed.

"Keiko!" Kimiko cried turning around, although it showed through onto her eyes she thought the comment slightly funny.

"Well it's true! He wouldn't talk so badly about music if he had gone through the amount of schooling we had."

"_You _have the brain capacity to play an instrument, Keiko? I did not think it possible!" He snarled, his distaste for her also lit and roaring like a raging fire reaching towards the frail night sky.

"I give up!" Kimiko threw her hands up, and rose from the oak piano bench, and walked into the kitchen to talk to Keiko's mother, who was preparing them lunch.

"Now see what you did? You made her leave!" Keiko jumped up not long after, and scurried into the kitchen, leaving Cole slightly dumbfounded and alone in the living room, so far not permitted to travel anywhere else in the house.

"He sounds like _quite_ the charmer, Dear," Elouise Tanaka smiled, her blonde hair swinging over her shoulder.

When Keiko was fourteen, her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and not a very long while later, she died. It was a tragic event, and something her and her father most likely would never get over... But then, when she moved to America with her father, Kimiko's father, and her best friend, her father met Elouise.

Elouise was a shy woman, who did everything that was stereotypical of a woman. She liked to clean and cook, and stay home with her kids. It wasn't very hard to like her, and after a year and a half, her father remarried. She made it clear to the young girl she wasn't ever going to take over her mother's role, but would be there if Keiko ever needed someone to talk to. And she had been a great help the last three years since she had joined the family.

"Doesn't he?" Kimiko's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Don't be too hard on the man now..." Elouise winked, scrubbing a dish without really looking at it, "Remember what you father said... It's only temperary..."

"Temperary my ass..." Keiko murmered, glaring slightly, but the mirrored expression from her mother made her stand straight, contrasting with the slumped look to her leaning on the counter, "What? I mean... You know it's true - the man is a bastard... I know you hate the language, but honestly... It's the two thousands now."

This earned a laugh from both her mother and her best friend, and she smiled triumphantly, her task being fufilled.

"You don't suppose you parents could get him out of the house so Kimiko can finish her music? It's very beautiful, and I would hate to see the song go to waste because the idiot cannot control himself," Keiko wondered, commenting again on how much she disapproved on the man set for Kimiko to marry.

"Of course we could... Let me finish up in the kitchen, and we'll find a way for everyone to leave," she winked and went on with her business as the two girls walked up the stairs connected to the kitchen, avoiding the living room all together.

The house was a large one, but nothing near what they had in Tokyo, and quite frankly the two girls loved it. It was a cozy home, that had every essence right down to the very of a wonderful home. When they walked into Kimiko's bedroom, Kimiko began unzipping some suitcases, rummaging for specific items. She had a room with the Tanaka's because she was there constantly. Even before Keiko's real mother had died, she was part of the family, as Keiko was her.

They completed each other in ways that no one else ever would.

"Oh Kimiko... I do wish you'd leave Cole at home when you go tonight to that concert... He may compliment you and shower you with compliments, but honestly - he doesn't know a thing about what you can do. Kimi take my word on this one."

"Of course I'll leave him home Keiko. I can't have you ripping his head off," she smiled slightly, "although that might make a nice addition to my song."

The girl chuckled, pinning her dyed brown hair in a bun on her head, emerald eyes scanning the suitcases stacked on the bed, "so you're staying for a while?"

"You kind of know the story," sapphire eyes looked down miserably.

It's not that she didn' want to stay with Keiko, it was the fact that with Cole staying as well, there wouldn't be _anywhere_ she could go without him, and in all quite honesties, it freaked her out. Smiling at her silliness she looked to her frien.

"So you know.." She stopped to scratch her neck, rearranging the necklace so the clasp was hidden behind her long, aslo dyed, blonde hair. "After Cole went crying to my father that I slept with Raimundo, he convinced him that being in a place with third world people simply wouldn't do. He convinced him to send us away until Cole had an apartment and stuff..."

"That is positively down, right awful! What did your father say? Surely he didn't make you do this - you chose to come to me on your own?"

"Unfortunately Keiko, I have to get married to Cole. I pinned him on using my own happiness to help his business... But oh..." She twisted her hair, letting her head fall to her chest, "If you would have seen the look on his face... You would have known... You would have seen what all of this was doing to him. He hadn't looked that miserable since I was small... And I couldn't -" Unexpectedly, tears fell from her eyes, splashing onto her shaking hands.

Keiko quickly fell to her knees, wrapping the girl in a hug. "Everything will be alright, Kimi... Your father will be fine, and he said this was just temperary right? Well, we'll be able to sneak around and go find Raimundo. we can tell him what happened... We can..." She stopped for a moment, "Won't he be playing in most of the places your playing at? Surely he was invited back from last time..."

This almost made the blonde's heart dump into her stomach. She didn't know if that was true... She hadn't bothered to ask when they were making small talk or anything. And oh how stupid she was. This could have been the answer to all of her problems.

As though reading her mind, Keiko smiled, "I can find out for you..."

"What?" She suddenly looked up, a shocked expression plastered on her porcelain face.

"Yeah!" She jumped up and giggled, "it can't be that hard. I mean... I don't have Jack's number, and I know you don't have Rai's anymore... But I could find them... You just have to keep Cole and our parents distracted."

"Oh would you Keiko??" She just about cried with glee, the moisture twinkling in the bright light of the room.

"I would..." She hugged her friend. "I'll go first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Thank you..." She whispered, closing her eyes, and laughing, "I'm so pathetic sometimes."

"Yes and no..." The girl grinned and stood, "let's go downstairs, huh? I say we give Cole a hard time - that was slightly fun. Don't worry about what he says to me... Just don't stick up for him."

"Fair enough..." She smiled and was allowed to be hoisted up.

??

She watched the quick moving scenery flash by, and although it was all grey, she viewed it anyways.

Keiko was riding the subway into New York, in an attempt to find one person, out of the millions that lived there. She took a deep breath when the tram suddenly stopped, jerking her forward, then back again.

Standing up, she heard her heels click, they always inspired her the most to move quickly, as she walked up into the sunlight, clutching her purse to her side.

Tall buildings seemingly grew taller as she looked around, the sun glinting on all of the tinted windows in a way to make it truthfully the most beautiful city in all of America. She watched the bright haze of the sun, off to the side of course, shine upon them, warming the pavement and sidewalks, making everyone wearing dark, business colors groan and complain.

Everyone chattered as she walked on the street, with cell phones, yelling or laughing, steaming or carrying on idle conversations. She felt slightly left out, not having her cell phone out, as she was normally the one in the crowd who was talking on it. But it didn't bother her too much today - she had a mission.

Going to a phonebooth, thinking up the plan as she walked by a brightly lit sign signaling there was a theater showing in fifteen minutes. Despite the illumination of the day, it still made it stand out, the sign almost every color in the spectrum. Flipping through the phonebook, she tried to make haste of what she was doing, although she realized she had no clue what in the world their last names would be.

She assumed she would look up Raimundo, and go from there, the newer sections of the phonebooks sometimes having cell phones that worked as homephones and business phones, _and_ having a section going by first name. Laughing to herself, she realized just a few days ago, she would have thought it idiotic to put people by first name... Now she was definitely thanking whoever came up with the crazy idea.

At last finding 'R' in the pink section (the section that went by first name, contrasting buy the business yellow pages, and normal by-last-name white pages), she didn't have to go very far to see the start of an extremely long list.

Raimundo Alion, Raimundo Ayie, Raimundo Bbanno, Raimundo Connar, Raimundo Delorosa - the list kept going. She thought she had it lucky, passing the emily pages had taken her over a minute, but Raimundo still had an equal amount to fret about. There was only one page, front and back, and people yelling at her to hurry up.

Glaring at the seemingly angry mob waiting outside, she tore the page from the phonebook and walked out irritated, the people flabberghasted she would do such a thing.

Looking at the first name she realized she had a lot to do. Even more so than that, the page coincidentally ripped down the phone numbers, none of them complete. Glaring, she checked the first address, hailing a taxi and getting in.

This was going to take a lot of work.

??

**A/N: Ahahaha... I totally just came up with a plan on what I'm going to do and I am excited! :D Sorry I'm updating so late in the day - I don't know if this is late or not - I can't honestly remember lol. But, I'm super glad that everyone is reading so far. It's making me really happy to know you all like it!**

**Please REVIEW you know how happy they make me. They're the only things that keep me updating every three days.**

**-zesty-**


	7. 6: The First Side Of The Paper

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: So despite the fact I have a plan, I don't particularily want to write this chapter... Just because I don'g have anything exciting going on in my story just yet... But I will think of some sort of a climax, and then you know :D Everything will be cool. I'm rambling now just so I don't have to continue ahaha.**

**Disclaimer: Is there a new season? No... Well then - you know I don't own it.**

**Quick Random Thought: Who here has played: Final Fantasy 9, Kingdom Hearts, or Final Fantasy 12? Curious Question...**

**Chapter 6: The First Side Of The Paper**

The large, and rather heavy door swung shut, almost hitting her square in the nose. Narrowing her eyes, she scoffed at it, lightly hitting it with the side of her shoe.

"Yeah well! Thank God it's not you!" She yelled to the door, as though it did something to her.

Taking out a phonebook piece of paper from her purse, she also fetched a sharpy and crossed off yet another name on the list. Already had she been to fifteen houses, so she wasn't sure why she still reacted angrily when someone slammed the door - it had happened a lot.

Although some people would give her the time of day because she was a pretty good with a young voice, and a hopeless-romantic cause. It sounded like a good case - like she was going to confess her love to the Raimundo who came to the door, or was said to live in the house... But when she had spoke of her friend, they backed out. And that's only when she got lucky.

Glaring at the piece of paper, she flipped it over, seeing just how many more names she had to go through, taxi drivers she must pay, and hours of her day it would eat. She had to admit the thought was discouraging her, and with that she set out to take a break, finding a cute little café.

It had miss-matched furniture, some red, some purple, some blue, etcetra, but it all seemed to fall together. There was a brick fire place, the fire comfortably blazing, illuminating the part of the room with not just light, but warmth as well.

There was a fake hide rug on the white tile floor, acting as though it were a cloud. That's truly how comfy it was. The counter was a dark oak, sporting plenty of glass displays of delicious and appetizing foods just begging to be bought.

Walking briskly, she moved straight to the counter, already knowing what she would order, but when whoever was taking her order walked out from behind the door, she stopped, suddenly self conscious and confused as to what she should say.

He wasn't very tall, although taller than her. His head was slightly large, and his skin was yellow, but he wore blue jeans, two black wristbands, and a jean jacket, a black hat covering his seemingly large head. There was something about him that made her wonder if they didn't have uniforms, and then figured since it was New York - anything was possible.

He smiled at her and leaned against the counter, "Hey, can I help you?"

She tilted her head at him, her natural black hair with blue highlights for the day swinging over her shoulder, the layers obvious in the lighting.

Keiko stood there for moment, staring at him, making his black eyes shift back and forth uncomfortably, "I'm sorry..." He mumbled slightly confused, "Were you not ready?"

A ring on her phone make her break out of her trance, and she laughed stepping back, allowing the next person in line to go forward. Flipping open the blue cell, she held it to her three times pierced ear, clad with three different, and exquisite, yet extremely mordern and cool earrings.

"Hello?" There was some talking on the other line... Something about Kimiko not being able to stop Cole from going into New York, and from where Keiko was, at that café, it sounded as though he might be close.

"Do be careful, Keiko. I do know that - you know - New York is a pretty big place... But, luck just isn't in my favor anymore."

"Of course, Kimi, don't worry. I'll find them - I know I'm close -" she winced, remembering the amount of names on the back of that paper; it was as though they got smaller as you went. "You'll just have to be patient, and remember - try and keep them busy!"

"I'm doing my best... Talk to you soon... Kisses, Keiko."

"Kisses Kimi, don't fret! Bye!" She hung up then, dropping the device back into her black purse and stepping forward again, already embarrassed.

"Sorry..." She chuckled, nervously tapping her manicured fingers on the counter, "I'll have a medium white chocolate and carmel cappichino and a..." She shook her head, deciding what sandwich to get, "A crispy chicken sandwich... Please."

"Sure!" He laughed at her confusion, and quickly turned to begin her order, "So do you come here often?"

"Who? Me?" She laughed then, "No actually... I've been here maybe like twice before."

"Hey that's more than most people can say. I mean, New York is big enough... There's a much classier place just about a block away..." He shrugged nonchalant, turning again.

"What's your name?" She blurted the question before she could stop herself, a slight blush rising to her cheeks.

"Omi... And yours?"

"Keiko..." She nodded and shook his hand, her sized limb molding into the shape of his.

"A pleasure, Keiko!" He smiled and turned back around, handing her her coffee only a few moments later, and sliding the plate with the sandwhich on it toward her petite frame, "And don't forget to enjoy."

She smiled and turned, her hair flipping back behind her shoulder as she plopped down on a chair at the table, greedily picking up the food. This was really stressing her out.

Sighing, she sipped her coffee, and took out the phone book page, flipping it over to the last part of the alphabet, then flipping it back. Who in the world could he be? She didn't know there were so many Raimundo's in New York, and Kimiko had to go and forget his last name.

Disgusted, she pushed the plate away after the sandwich was gone, and laid her head on the table. She was so tired of running around, and she still had so many names to do. She wished that Kimiko could have been there with her.

"Are you okay?" The sudden voice made her jump as she looked up confused, "Heh, sorry... I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's alright," she said, nodding to the guy with politeness, "don't you have to be working?" She questioned.

It was the same guy who helped her at the counter, and quite frankly she didn't care. She'd like to have someone to talk to, and she'd _love_ it to be him. He was adorable if she said so herself, and he came to talk to her. Feeling slightly giddy, she straightened up.

"Yeah... But it's not like there is anyone in here to help, you know? Except you... Cause you look slightly stressed. Care to tell me about it - maybe I could help."

She wondered why this guy was so interested - did she really look that bad? Or was he one of those persistant people who would never give anyone time to feel mopey did they become friends, or something of the sort. Suddenly, her feelings of glee turned sour.

"It's really nothing..." She sighed and looked at the page of names, her stomach flipping over, "Okay... Well... I have to find this guy for my friend. Don't ask why she couldn't be here, she just couldn't - and I'm having difficulties finding him."

"Well, shouldn't it be easy with his last name?"

"It'd be excellent if I knew it..." She mumbled, discouraged.

"Ah... Yeah I'd say that could pose a slight problem..." He chuckled, "Maybe I could help. How many places are there to go?"

"You have no idea..." Keiko handed him the page, watching his eyes widen in a slight shock.

"Oh... Wow... That's a lot of people. Not even phone numbers to make calls?"

"People were waiting to get into the phone booth..." She shrugged, a little embarassed she couldn't take ten more seconds to rip it nicely, "But I've been to all the crossed off places, and still have the others left."

"This is running all over New York..." He was still stunned, his eyes moving up to search her face, "How important is this guy to her?"

"See that's the thing... I don't know."

For the first time since she had met Kimiko, she doubted her. It was quite a big deal, that made her awful upset, but seeing the Japanese girl so uncertain, it seemed like Raimundo wasn't really right to look for. Of course, Cole helped their case a little bit, being the most giant dumb ass in history, but she was doubting it...

Kimiko hadn't known him very long, and didn't even try to fight to stay. Of course Keiko didn't know what went on with her and her father, and she wouldn't ask - as she wouldn't bring up the topic any more to Kimiko, only try to support her - but it really didn't seem like she was trying so hard.

The doubt spread like a disease, causing her to slump her shoulders.

"Ah..." It was like Omi was reading her mind, "don't doubt your friend. I mean, I don't know her, but if you're doing something like this for her you both must have faith..."

It's then that Keiko decided maybe she would like Omi's help, and with a sigh, she started the story. It wasn't a very long one, but it definately seemed to allow the guy to shuffle through his facial expressions.

"Well Keiko..." He suddenly flashed a smile - something she didn't think he would do.

She figured he would walk away, glancing nervously back at her, thinking she was the weirdest person in the world. Of course it was a bit animated, but she still thought it would most likely fit.

"I'll go with to help you!"

??

**A/N: Pretty interesting chapter. Another possible love interest for Keiko :P Lol... But, I hope you all liked it. I know it really didn't have anything to do with the main characters, but we're getting there - just be patient. I also apologize for the shortness of the chapter as well... cause it's soooo not worth the wait... Even if the wait is only three days :D  
**

**please review!! Thanks!!**

**-zesty-**


	8. 7: Brother And Sister

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: Okay... Well... I'm probably going to be late updating, because I forgot to write my chapter to keep myself ahead. I apologize if this turns out suckish.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it - no one cares, I say the same thing every chapter.**

**Quick Random Thought: MY NEW OBSESSION IS FINAL FANTASY 12!!! lol**

**Chapter 7: Brother And Sister**

"Come _on_!" The girl grunted, anger flaring in her eyes, "Hurry _up_ and pick up your _damn _ph - Heeeey!!! Cole! I haven't talked to you in forever! How are you?" Her voice flitted from irritated to sweet in only a mere point-two seconds.

She got a rather irritated look on her face as he talked, her voice contrasting greatly with the giddiness of her tone. Rolling her eyes, she popped in a random question, in the middle of his conversation.

"So I was wondering if we could go out for lunch? I mean, I have some pretty important news to tell you..." While she did this, she popped a quarter into a machine filled with small plastic circles, and twisted it around, making enough noise so he couldn't hear it. "Really? That'd be so cool! Okay! I'll totally and definitely bring a friend too then, okay? Sounds good..."

She hung up the phone and pulled out the plastic container, popping it open and seeing the convincing-enough looking diamond ring inside. Pulling it out, and using her teeth to reajust the size, she slipped it onto her left ring finger.

"Okay... So he told me that he would be at this one café a little later, and wondered if he could bring his fiancé. So I told him I would bring a friend - which ultimately leads to you!" She giggled, her brown hair swivveling as she twirled.

"That's excellent!" For the first time since that had entered the store, the brunette spoke, his emerald eyes shining with happiness, "I'll get to see her again then..."

"It must be fate... It's like he's completely oblivious to the fact I hate him!" she laughed and pushed open the door, "I just had to come up with a lie. He won't want to look at the ring, because it's obvious he totally will be jealous that I found someone awesome without being set up, and you'll be there. That'll give us enough problems, and you can see your girlfriend!"

"Thank you so much, Lana. You have no idea how much I owe you."

"How about, when you get famous, you say hi to the little people, eh? Your music is really good." She laughed at his dumbfounded expression, "I was there that night you played, when Cole talked to me about his fiancé and how I just _had_ to meet her, because I would _love _her. Well now that I know that she hates Cole - he's probably right."

Raimundo laughed at this, running a tanned hand through his hair, "You think this will really work?"

"I don't think I've ever been wrong before..." She walked down the street, eying up several stores, and thinking about things that didn't show on her face.

She knew this plan would most likely not work. Somehow, Cole would find a way out of there with his fiancé... But the look of glee on the Brazilian's face couldn't get her to tell that Kimiko would be moving away after they got married... Most likely never to find Raimundo ever again. It was a sad thing to think about, so therefore she didn't think of it.

If the time came, and her plans, mixed with everyone else's force and scheming to have the two end up together didn't work, they would just have to think of something that would work.

Shaking her head, she skipped along, "we have to go shopping... We've got to impress him!" she laughed at his mortified look at her sudden random idea, and yanked him along.

She really liked this guy - she thought he was adorable in more ways than one. But thinking about this only made her think of her brother, which ultimately wanted to make her vomit. There were just some things she never got over.

??

_"Cole! Cole guess _what?!?!" _She seemed to be freaking out at the moment - something she didn't normally do._

_After their father had completely been sued of all he was worth by their uncle, who had originally had the company in his hands, and wanted it back, claiming and proving he had never handed over the rights in the first place, his two children never seemed to be happy._

_It was turly a rare sight for Lana to be jumping around, simply begging for Cole to share the attitude. But ehese days, he was simply prissy and thought he was better than everyone else._

_"What?" He asked gruffly, too busy to take part in some of his sister's charades. Of course, he didn't seem to need to anymore, as she normally loeft him alone, so perhaps he would give her the benefit of the doubt this time - just to see what she was so hyper about._

_"Oh Cole, it's wonderful!" She barked, her eyes dancing in the light. "I've found the _sweetest_ guy! His name is Asher and -"_

_His eyes widened almost immediately. His sister was going to be happy... His sister was going to get back on her feet while her family still struggled with the money being low, and allo of their relationships being torn apart. She was going to be happy... There had to be something to do to prevent this._

_"And well, I didn't really just meet him. He and I have been friends for like ever, and started dating a while ago. But then you know, he left for England for business -"_

_He was a business man on top of that. No doubt she would get even more than happiness, had he let her go through with it. Not, it was unacceptable. If he and his father and mother had to suffer, so would his sister. Holding back a hiss, he listened to her ramble._

_"But then he came back and _proposed!_" She squealed, holding out her left hand that sparkled beautifully in the light._

_He simply couldn't hold back his shock for that one. It was fortunate for him, she took it as a good thing, hugged him and bounded out of the room, not waiting to tell her mother and father about it. He sat stunned for a moment, as a plan began to form in his mind... _

_??_

_"Lana is..." He tried to think of how to say it convincingly, "she's a witch..."_

_"Excuse me?" The blonde in front of him looked unconvinced._

_"You see... She does this to a lot of people... It was good that I got to you first before you married her... It's like what she does for a living... She gets married to people, takes them for everything they have, and then leaves them..." He shook his head, "you see... She just did this to... her best friend."_

_"Her best friend?" He cocked an eyebrow, his face becoming a little more concerned._

_"Yes... IT was horrible. She had the most wonderful boyfriend in the world - they had been together since they were just little kids with one of the fake first grade marriages and everything..." He shook his head sadly; now he finally understood why his mother made him take an acting class for three years, "Stole him away from her, completely devastating her best friend, married him, and divorced him only a week and a half later... Both of them were left completely ruined... And their relationship was never repaired."_

_"That's awful... Lana? My Lana? She wouldn't do such a thing..." He look as though he only wanted to believe it, and didn't actually._

_"I intend on paying you back for the ring as soon as I can... Don't you worry... I think she does it because of the horrible part of her life she's at. My parents are getting a divorce," this wasn't true, but Cole was an excellent liar, "my father's company just collapsed," also another lie, "and my mother just had another baby girl," yet another lie, "so please don't blame her... And don't try to talk to her about it... It'll simply hurt you more... Once I get the money though - I assure you I'll pay you back... Just call her right now and tell her it's over..."_

_The blonde took a breath, and grabbed the phone, dialing the number he had grown to know so well._

_"Hello?" Came the bubbly question from the other line._

_"Lana?" He sounded miserable - from what, Cole didn't know._

_"Yeah! Hey baby! So sorry I'm late! I was trying to find the curling iron, and then I plugged it in and it fell on my cat so -"_

_"Lana don't bother coming. We're over..."_

_"What?" There was a clank and a hiss in the background, signaling she must have dropped whatever she was holding on the poor, abused cat; all inklings of happiness vanishing from her voice._

_"Yeah... Um... I don't get why you do that to people, but it's wrong, and if anyone found it... You could be sued... For a lot of money... I care about you Lana, I really do... So that's why I'm telling you that - but don't come try and find me. We're completely finished."_

_With that he hung up the phone, look dejected at Cole, and walked out of the café. On the other hand, Lana's brother now wickedly grinned, pulling the engagement ring out of his pocket, and getting up, walking to the nearest pawn shop._

_He would get enough money off of that to launch a business - one that would become a huge success._

_??_

She had never loved another man after Asher, trying so many times to email him explaining the story, only to find out they were deleted and never read. She tried to mail him letters, receiving them back, unopened. Phone calls that never went answered, messages that were never replied to... It was useless.

Perhaps this was the time, that she would finally get her revenge on her God awful brother... And she would do that somehow - so that's why she had agreed to do this for Raimundo...

She didn't want Cole to ruin another person's life that could have been magical, had he not stepped in with his fat ass and ruined the whole thing, allowing it to plummet down the toilet, making sure it didn't get clogged on the way.

"Raimundo?"

"Mm?" He questioned, glancing at her from the side.

"Do you think... If all of this works out well enough... You could do me a favor?"

"Sure... I mean - since you're doing all this for me... I mean - how could I refuse?" He questioned, flashing her a smile, "What do you need?"

"I'll tell you after this is all over... The whole story - then you can decide if you really want to do it."

"Alright..." He was a little skeptical. Having just met the girl, he didn't know really what to think of her, but if she really did know Cole like she said she did, that he had to trust her. She seemed to share the same hate for him that Raimundo did, and for that... It automatically made them friends.

Grinning to himself, he shoved his hands in his pockets, ready to take one whatever came their way... And he would get Kimiko back. He had been saying that a lot lately, but something about the look on Lana's face, and the way he felt, told him that it was absolutely the right thing that he was doing...

And that if he held his grip on the fast ride, he would receive his reward at the end.

??

**A/N: I wish I could have like... Recorded that. That was the fastest typed chapter in the world lol I swear to god I started at like no earlier than 1:50, and it's now 2:14. I also took a break to put the laundry into the washing machine.**

**Holy man... That was crazy. I just pray this wasn't too short. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it. Now you see Cole for his true colors lol... Lana isn't really as bad as we all thought she would be, huh? :D **

**Hope to hear from you all to see what you think!**

**-zesty-**


	9. 8: There's This Nice Cafe Not Too Far

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: I apologize - this will most likely be late... I've been busy today and I failed to write this chapter last time I updated. I'm lazy like that I suppose...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it.**

**Quick Random Thought: Ahhh... I love Larsa & Penelo (lots of people don't know what I'm talking about I bet)**

**Chapter 8: There's This Nice Cafe Not Too Far...**

Kimiko chewed on her lip. They were on their way into New York to have a random lunch with Cole's sister. She didn't even know Cole had a sister, and there they were. He couldn't schedule it for a better time? She had difficulties with Keiko at the moment, and she absolutely could not be away from her phone.

It was clapsed tightly in her hand, and she knew he would tell her to put it away sometime or another. Or at least gave her a look that said basically the same thing. Although she knew he couldn't really make her do anything, it irked her to see that he thought he had the power too.

Grumbling a little to herself, she turned away, towards the window, trying to text Keiko in secret.

"Is there any day you can't go without talking or texting or emailing or paging or my -"

"I get it!" She hissed, and let her phone drop to her side, secretly still texting with one hand. "And no there isn't... I'm a very busy person. You should have known that before you signed up to marry me."

"I didn't sign up... There were countless other people I thought would be nice to marry - I had a girlfriend once upon a time. But then business -"

"I _hope_ business takes you away from me too. Cole darling, I hope you don't mind if I end up cheating on you."

"I do say!" He glared, mocking some stupid accent that Kimiko surely did not want to hear; this wasn't a time to be an idiot.

"Well you know what?" She questioned, tilting her head a little bit, "I think that you would probably cheat on me too. All of your business trips and such - it's a no wonder... What? She left you for your gardener because you didn't pay enough attention to her?"

"Actually - it was my employee."

She was quiet for a moment, suddenly realizing perhaps why he was so bitter all the time, "I'm sorry, Cole. I had no clue... I just thought -"

"Well now you know..." He was quiet, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she figured this was just an act; but it shouldn't have to happen to anyone... Not even this asshole she was sitting with.

"Where we going?" She asked, trying to change the subject, as she didn't like feeling pity for him.

"There's this little cafe that my sister is in love with..." He smirked, his cocky ego inflating once again, "You'll love it."

"I'm sure..." She murmered, hitting send on her phone before snapping it shut and dropping it in her purse.

??

"Honestly, three fourths of those places had no one home... How in the world are we supposed to know?" She glared into the ground, crinkling the paper with her hand.

"Don't worry about it..." He took the paper from her hand, his dark eyes trailing to the paper, looking at several places that were circled, "We just go back there later, and bother the people at night."

"I'd prefer _not_ to be doing this all night."

"How will you finish?"

"I guess I'll have to come back tomorrow..." She sighed and looked down, her heels clicking against the sidewalk. Somehow, they had decided to be an evil thing today as her feet were throbbing - screaming at her to take off her shoes.

He chuckled slightly, causing her to look up, "How exactly is that funny?"

Earning a nonchalant shrug, it was quiet for a moment, as she had nothing to say, before he spoke, "It just kind of is... Would you like the same kind of help tomorrow?"

Slightly befuddled, she eyed him, "You're willing to run all over New York again and spend a crapload of money on taxis _again_ just to help me?"

"Sure... You seem pretty cool..." He blushed slightly at this, and dug his hands into his pockets.

"Do you have a cell phone?"

"Yeah..." He pulled it out, allowing her to take it and quickly put her number into his phone.

"You'll have to call me... That is if you don't change your mind at all..."

"Of course I won't..." He winked, "How about because you've had absolutely no luck today -"

The sun was lowering from it's highest peak of the day, and she looked towards the sky, hoping to say it quietly, but still loud enough for Omi to hear her, "Thanks ever so much for reminding me..."

"_ANYWAYS_ - How about I take you out for lunch?" He smirked at her, watching her face fall slightly shocked at his offer. "What? Don't want to? That's fine I just -"

"Sure!" She answered quickly, a wide smile taking over her face, "Where do you want to go?"

"I know this cool place probably not too far from here -" he pointed at an address on the page, "we can head there, and then walk?"

"Sounds like a plan!" She smiled, hailing a taxi and paying him in advance.

Kimiko had given her the money for the day - which means... It was Cole's - meaning she should spend it. She chuckled to herself, shaking her head when she received an odd and slightly concerned glance from the guy next to her.

??

Lana held the door open for Raimundo, as he moseyed inside. His stomach was doing flips when he glanced around the place, and seeing no one was in there nessacarily, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

The place was pretty basic. It was a 60's (or 70's - he couldn't tell) diner, with waitresses in pony tails and poodles skirts gliding around on rollar blades. There was a jutebox jamming out in the corner, and the booths lined the outside, dishes clanking together, everything set atop a diamond checkered - black and white - floor.

"Come on!" Lana laughed at his dumbfounded expression, yanking him over to a booth and setting him down so his back was towards the door, "That's so no one can see, okay? Just don't look backwards and everything should be okay."

"Alright..." He was a little unsure, but he figured it couldn't hurt to trust her after she was getting Kimiko there for him.

Only after a few minutes did the bell ring, and Lana's head whipped around. Laughing, Raimundo was sure it was fake, she waved the people over, eyes lit with a falty excitement.

"Lana!" The voice was disgusting - and Raimundo hated it... It wasn't nearly as wonderful as his sister's voice. "How are you - I haven't seen you!"

"I have some major news..." She smirked, kissing his cheek, "But first, why don't you introduce your fiancé I've heard so many wonderful things about!"

It was true that Lana had heard a lot about Kimiko. It was also true that she had heard absolutely none of it from Cole. He would think it was his sister's social skills taking over, but she meant it in a way of Raimundo explaining all she needed to know about the Japanese eighteen year old in front of her.

They sat at the booth, and that's when they finally noticed the brunette, lazily sitting on the inside, the jutebox playing an old melody on the other side of the room. It was as though everything in the small building went silent just for the dramatic effect of this moment. Suddenly Raimundo wondered if it was such a good idea.

"So! Now that I've been introduced to Miss Tohomiko -"

"Kimiko... Please..." The girl smiled, but never took her eyes off the brunette, who tried to stay calm, even after the death glare he was recieving from the blonde.

"Alright... Kimiko then... I would like you both to meet Raimundo Pedrosa..."

"A pleasure." Kimiko said almost instantaniously. She had barely finished her sentence, and this made Cole angry.

"But the true pleasure here is all mine, _Raimundo..._" Cole shook his hand, squeezing it far harder than he should have; no one knew if it was out of hate for the boy, or hate for the situation at hand.

"Truthfully, I am the most pleased to see you both again..."

"You've met?" Lana pretended to be baffled - Cole wasn't the only one who took acting classes; the thing was that Lana was the better of the two.

"I've seen them... Once or twice, said a hi - I don't think we were properly introduced... Like civilized people..." He raised a suggestive eyebrow at Kimiko, making her turn away and blush.

"What's _your _surprise, Lana?"

"Oh!" She giggled like a school girl, "I'm engaged!" She held up her left hand, a slight giddiness on her face.

Again the brunette couldn't tell if it was just her acting, or the giddiness morphing from the satisfaction at pissing her brother off. She truly must have hated him with a resentment far more than his own. The look on Cole's face would have made Raimundo laugh, had the conversation been under any other circumstance. The only thing he didn't like about this scene was that Kimiko was now staring at him accusingly, as though she thought _he_ was the one Lana was engaged to.

"To _him_ right?" Cole asked, shocked.

"No silly... Guess who decided to come back..." Her smile increased when his eyes did, signaling at something that both Kimiko and Raimundo had no idea about.

??

Omi held the door open for Keiko as she walked in giggling, "Thank you, Darling!"

"Sure..." He smirked and looked around the place, taking in the smell of greasy food and an even greasier counter attempting to be cleaned.

There was a gasp from beside him, and when he trailed the line of sight the girl was looking to, she saw a basic twin of hers, a brunette, and two blondes who looked like siblings.

Keiko locked eyes with the girl, and her azure eyes widened as she jumped up, "Keiko!"

The girl couldn't quite believe it. Here she had her friend running all around New York all day, and it seemed as though she had found the brunette, not even bothering to call. Keiko and Omi casually walked over, smiling and introducing themselves.

Raimundo nodded, Lana smiled, Kimiko looked slightly guilty, and Cole? He simply seathed.

"Can I have a moment to steal this lovely girl?" Keiko asked, trying to keep her voice light as she yanked Kimiko from her seat and pulling her into the bathroom, immediately turning on her, eyes glaring daggers, "What the _fuck_ are you doing, Kimiko?"

"What?" She was confused, horrified her friend was so steamed.

"You have me running all over the God damn place trying to find this guy - he ends up here - you're here with Cole, you and him seem to be getting along for appearances and then..." She shook her head, placing a delicate hand on her forehead.

"It's complicated, Keiko! I was going to tell you -"

"I need you to do something - for me."

"What?" She was now starting to get irritated... The girl was changing the subject when she was trying to explain.

Pulling her eyes open, and locking her emerald gaze on the girl, she asked her the most serious question in her life, "How much do you want this boy?"

??

**A/N: Ohhh Yay! I'm so sorry it's late - I had plans for the fourth... Happy Belayed Fourth to everyone by the way :D if you celebrate that is lol.**

**I hope you all like the story and that you'll **_review_! **Hope to hear from you all soon!**

**-zesty-**


	10. 9: Battle Positions

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: Well... After a somewhat sad review (not on this story I assure you), I'm going to try and do this chapter differently, so give me a break if it sucks :) **

**Disclaimer: Don't own it - kinda wish I did though. ANOTHER SEASON!!! Lol**

**Quick Random Thought: I hate people.**

**Chapter 9: Battle Positions**

Azure eyes quavered back and forth, searching for some falter in the owner's best friend's words. In her porcelain face, there were a lot of different emotions. A lot of them morphed together, from things that the Japanese girl in front of her didn't know about - things that she indeed, _should_ know about. It was a shame because she had taken so much obsessiveness in her friend helping her, that she actually did not know what was going on.

For the last few days, she managed to squabble about, focusing on finding a way out of her marriage with Cole as fast as possible. She didn't realize, even if Keiko, her _best_ friend, hadn't met the big-headed teenager that day, if something was going on between them. She didn't understand that perhaps Keiko was upset too, because she had lost contact with Jack, in losing contact with Raimundo. Shaking her head about, she thought she must know the reason that she had rejected her friend so much.

In a small voice, her hand tracing the bathroom sink for a moment, never letting her eyes break away from emerald ones boring their gaze back into hers, she spoke, "You've no idea..."

That was all that it took for the raven haired girl who was about an inch taller than she, to relax. The muscles in her shoulders slumped, the tension leaving her face, and her eyes became soft. With an expression reading sorry, she walked over to her friend, hugging her.

"You have no idea how much I'm going to try to help you then..." Her voice sounded determined, and a pang of guilt hit Kimiko in the stomach; she didn't know if she wanted Keiko's help if things were going to turn like this.

"You've already _been_ helping me. I can't even keep in contact with what's going on on a daily basis... I mean - who is that kid out there you walked in with? I don't even know - you could have known him for the past few days, and..." she shook her head trailing off, allowing her eyes to wonder to the tile floor.

It was a rather obnoxious bathroom. Sure it was large and spacious, but the tile was the same as in the dining area, and the music floated in from the other room. The stalls were clean, their material black and silver. The sinks had red bows tied around the bottoms of them, and on the counters were pictures of things from the sixties, the same on the walls, only in news paper article form. It made you feel like you were going to the bathroom in the very place you were about to eat.

"In all honesty, Kimi..." She said softly, knowing now that she overreacted before, "Nothing's been going on with me the past couple of days - and if they had been... Well then I surely would have made it known to you. Omi and I met today, and he helped out a little bit with this..." she pulled the page of the phone book out of her purse, and handed it to Kimiko.

On the page, were all the people with the first name Raimundo, a lot of them already crossed off with pen. Flipping it over, she saw more names, causing her to glance up with surprise at her friend. The girl could only grin sheepishly, "When I'm determined, I do something..."

"Oh Keiko..." She didn't even bother folding it back up before she flung her arms around the girl.

They didn't know exactly where they were going to be in the next couple of days, but they did know that it was going to be easier now. Keiko had no more doubt that Kimiko wanted to at least see what Raimundo was about. It may have been going fast - and it might even be something completely stupid to do... But for her not to even have the choice was motivation enough.

It turns out that Kimiko's text never sent, and that's how the trouble all started in the first place. But they would play it up as nothing had happened anyways, just to see where this lunch would go. And they prayed, as they pushed the door open, and stepped out into the dining area again, beginning to get sick of the rather obnoxious tile, things would work out alright. In other words, if they could find out just what type of game Lana was playing while being subtle, they could possibly get a last name from Raimundo, and have Cole and Kimiko fight - it would be the best thing they've accomplished for a long while. But of course, these questions would have to be sneaky - which meant they might not succeed in getting all the answers...

Sweeping the area again with her eyes, Kimiko noticed they all moved to a bigger booth. It was most likely one of the newcomer's ideas, since they seemed slightly like the type. She knew Cole would be irritated, but she didn't say anything, only glancing backwards just as Kieko popped a nickel into the machine. She clicked some random song, and turned around grinning as though she hadn't been mad.

She had a right to be mad, but Kimiko was really rather glad it wasn't going to turn into a big one. They always bantered, no matter on what occassion, for seemingly a few minutes, and were perfectly fine the next two. It was the way things always worked - and no matter how much they snarled at each other, or said potentially hurtful things (even though neither really ever took offense) they always had each other's back, and Keiko had mentioned this time was no different - for the both of them.

Walking over to white table, with her friend bounding behind her, she smiled sweetly, "Sorry... You know Keiko - well... Cole, you do anyways... And... Raimundo," she nodded, trying not to catch his gaze too obviously, "you've... Met her..."

He nodded, no words escaping his lips, as they slid into the booth. Keiko picked up a menu at the same time as Lana, and people noticed both girls were both acting much more hyper than they should. It was an awkward silence for a few moments, no one really understanding what to say with so many people.

"Oh!" Lana suddenly squealed, turning to Omi who sat next to Raimundo, who ultimately was seated by her, "I'm sorry!" She laughed a bubbly sort of chortle, causing Cole to raise a suspicious eyebrow, "I'm Lana!"

"Omi..." He nodded, shaking hands with her. Everyone else introduced themselves as well, and the conversation began to flow from there.

"What brings you two here today?" Omi asked, Keiko only smiling politely as she glanced at Cole.

"My sister wanted me to have lunch with her and... Her _friend..._" He eyed the girl suspiciously again, glaring slightly, as to know she was up to something, but she could only smile and look away, the innocent aura she gave off, the waves of it rolling off of her enough to make him sick.

"Fascinating..." Keiko nodded, looking to Kimiko, trying to play it up, "And you agreed to come with him?"

"I had no choice..." She shrugged innocently as well, making all the guys at the table raise their eyebrows. They weren't sure what was going on, but it seemed as though that conversation in the bathroom had horrendously changed the mood. She looked to Cole, who seemingly now glared at her, all the while trying still to throw invisible daggers with his eyes at his sister. "What?"

"Nothing..." He mumbled looking down angrily. They surely got to him... Which was really kind of a good thing - considering that's what they had been trying to do for a while.

"Omi, how did you meet Keiko?" Raimundo asked, smirking at the glare he got for seeming in a better mood than Cole himself. That glare intensified when Omi and him immediately clicked.

"We actually just met today at a café... I was helping her with some things..." He grinned at the girl, who shot a look at Kimiko, who could only stare at Raimundo.

It was like a ping pong ball bouncing off of everyone - it didn't know just where it would go next, or even if it would be hit, but they were trying... It was all just to get some answers out of each other that would have to come slowly... That could be potentially the longest lunch anyone had ever sat through...

"What about you, Raimundo?" He questioned, knowing all too well what they were trying to do, "How did you meet Kimiko?"

A light laugh erupted from almost everyone around the table. It was a pleasant conversation with a hidden meaning - a hidden meaning everyone understood, but no one dare break out in screams. Not in the innocent restaurant anyways.

"I saw her play the piano..." He smirked, looking her way, allowing a light blush onto her normally pale cheeks. "She was beautiful - absolutely dazzling..."

"Why is she marrying him then?" Omi asked, tilting his head to the side. He just loved playing dumb, and it seemed to be working, as he could almost see a vein about ready to burst from Cole's head.

"The usual..." Lana offered, about to show Cole her intentions of meeting him weren't actually all that great, "He couldn't get his own girlfriend, so he set up to marry the daughter of a business owner in need of money."

"Lana, can I speak with you?" He asked, standing up from the side of the booth.

"Sure, Cole!" She exclaimed gleefully, bounding after him outside. After she was gone though, they all leaned together.

"So what's really going on here?" Omi asked, confusion sweeping over his face as he blinked his dark eyes with curiosity. He reminded them of a puppy wanting a bone, but didn't know if he should ask or not.

"It's everything I explained to you today, Omi..." Keiko nodded, "Although I'm a bit confused about Lana. Who is she Raimundo?" She questioned quickly, glancing backwards to see if the two outside would come in anytime soon.

They were using their hands, twisting them in motion as they fought, their faces glaring at each other, hair flipping, and eyes burning like they were really duking it out. In the background, people walked around them, staring at them and turning their heads as they hurried along, hastily trying to leave the area. It looked as though there were in invisible wall people couldn't walk through, forming a bubble around the two. It was a radius no one was about to cross. In any other circumstance, it would have been comical to see. That is - if they hadn't known the people fighting, and just what they were fighting about.

"Lana is Cole's sister."

"We've gathered that much, smart one..." Keiko playfully snarled, rolling her eyes, "Why is she helping you?"

"She hates Cole... Now I don't know why and stuff, so don't even bother trying to ask," he added when Kimiko opened her mouth. He squeezed her hand to show no hard feelings over the table, "But she wants to help me out. If it's going to ruin his chances then it'll help her. In the end she has a favor she'd like me to do." He glanced at the Japanese girl sitting next to him, "And if it gets me closer to her -" He gestured, tossing his head to the side signaling towards just the girl, "I'll do it."

"What's your last name, Raimundo?" Omi asked, bringing up the forgotten, but most important question of the whole thing. The two girls sighed in relief, knowing that that question was going to be out of the way.

Quickly, Keiko handily took a piece of paper out of her purse, and a pink pen, throwing yet another glance over her shoulder. The fight was now even more animated than before, Cole looking as though he were about to strange the brunette in front of him. Fortunately, she couldn't see Lana's face, and just how ugly it could get when expression her hate for Cole to his face.

On the piece of paper, Raimundo wrote down his first and last name, cell phone number and home number, his band manager's name and number, Jack's name and number, on the off chance that they couldn't get ahold of Raimundo in any other way, and the address of his house and his practice place.

"I'm sorry that's all I could give you..." He shrugged, although he didn't look too sorry - there was a lot of information right there.

"It's fine... But let's wait quietly until they get back in... Kimiko, if Lana is getting Cole temporarily off your back, then you should really take the time to be with Ramiundo trying to sort things out, and finding a way for your dad to like him," Keiko instructed as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. The others had to hand it to her though, she surely knew what to do and keep a level head in those types of situations.

They sighed, and watch as the fight began to move, blocking everyone from one side of the building to the next, unless they wanted to test their luck and dash behind or in front of the pair, depending on where they were. It must have been very loud and very bad if people, even business workers, were snapping of their phone to avoid the noise. And yet inside the restaurant, where no noise could be heard, the song Keiko played came on, a soft tune of an Elvis Presley song going.

"Could I take your order?" A waitress came over, her blonde bangs pinned out of her face, and her hair in a high pony tail, tied with a red ribbon. She was wearing a red poodle skirt, with a matching scarf, and roller skates.

"Can I get an iced tea, please?" Kimiko asked, paying more attention to the two outside than the girl, despite the fact she seemed to be taking an interest in the boys.

"Make that two..." Keiko added, glaring at her as she eyed up _both_ Raimundo and Omi like eye candy.

_What a whore... She works in a diner for God's sake... _She thought, her mind laughing, her mouth and throat working not to make it out loud. She thought it was kind of funny, the way her lipstick was gobbed on. In a way, the raven haired young adult supposed, she looked slightly pretty, but the fact she was trying to be sexy and in a poodle skirt all at the same time must have really been a turn off.

"Ah... Cherry Coke... Please..." He leaned away from her, himself being the closest person to the end after they all shifted positions.

"Make that two..." Omi repeated again, just wanting her to leave. He didn't enjoy being interrupted in the middle of it all. The girl smacked her gum and flipped her wrist, the pencil staying gripped in her manicured hands.

"Kay..." She skated away, and ducked under the small square of counter without wooden cupboards under it, placing the order of the ring, and yelling it out, turning back around to stare at the group, girls and guys both.

"Next time, we should pick a different place to eat..." Omi mumbled, turning around quickly, trying to pull his hat further down on his head.

"I agree... She's a scary kind of person..." Keiko glanced back, to see that she was still staring at them. "In fact, after we get our drinks we should relocate.

"I'll be happy to pay! Just so long as we can leave..." Kimiko mumbled, pulling out a ten dollar bill and a few dollars, and leaving them on the table, out of sight for now.

The drinks came only a little later, the cherry suspiciously floating close to the top. Both of the guys looked at each other, certain they didn't want to drink it. The girls also saw the lemon looked the same type of suspicious. That waitress had taken a lot of interest in them.

With one last look down at her drink and the lipstick smudge on the side of the glass, Keiko pushed it away, "I think she was bisexual."

"She was coming onto you?" Raimundo asked with a snort, "Did you see the way she leaned over me. I could feel her fake boobs pressing the air over my hair down on my head."

The others laughed and got up, Kimiko sliding the money into view. With a slightly snotty wave, they left the café, the waitress slightly insulted. Standing outside, they watched the two fight for a moment longer.

"Hey!" Kimiko suddenly yelled, making everyone jump from the noise. "We're going somewhere else! The drinks looked testy. So... When you're done fighting - we've crossed the street..."

Lana nodded before Cole could protest, and she turned around to yell at him again. Cole, being completely unready, stumbled backwards shocked, and their fight moved down the street just a little, so that some of the scared walkers that didn't have anywhere to be, could finally pass. Running in front of cars, they entered a new building. It had a western theme, and everyone thought the people would at least be better than the freaky chick across the street. For some reason, Omi swore he could still feel her stare.

"This place is more buys... More witnesses..." He joked, just in case they were to come across someone fishy again.

"Hey..." A muscular, tall blonde tipped his ten gallon hat, his sky blue eyes glimmering even in the dim light, "Booth or table - smoking or nonsmoking?"

"Nonsmoking and a booth please... We have two more that might join us soon."

"Alright..." He nodded grabbing a few menus and walking around the corner, "Follow me."

"He's kinda cute..." Keiko murmured, laughing at the stare they all gave her.

Perhaps it wouldn't be so long of a lunch, because when they sat down they were far enough away that the two steaming peole outside would have to look for them. They all felt slightly guilty, leaving Lana like that, but she wouldn't take very much offense to it, according to Raimundo.

"My name's Clay, and I'll be your server today... Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"Dr. Pepper..." Raimundo said with a nod, as he didn't feel much like experiencing the same ominous cherry in his drink.

"Sierra mist -" the two girls spoke at once, making the waiter chuckle slightly.

"Water..." Omi wanted to play it safe, but he glanced at the guy and gave him a quick smirk before he walked away.

There were noises of dishes clanking together, and friendly chatter wafting through the air. Not to mention the smell of all American food rolling about, the grease lingering, making their mouth's water. They didn't realize just how hungry they had gotten. Everything seemed to be wooden, or brown, the a T.V. on in the bar, the bright light shining through the archway, and the dim lighting contrasting with everything, giving it a low and private place to talk.

"So... I think the thing I'm really wondering," Omi started, making sure he got the glance of everyone around, "Is that how are we going to make it so this business doesn't collapse, but Cole doesn't marry Kimiko?"

It was the question everyone wanted the answer to.

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**A/N: I think I got lazy towards the end there, but that doesn't really bother me too much :D I hope it was a good chapter. Please review, and let me know what you think!! Woot and it was over 3,000 words - just to make up for all the stupid short ones lately :D  
**

**Also let me know if there are any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas about the future, past or present lol!**

**-zesty-**


	11. 10: Disaster On The Horizon

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: Yeah... So yeah... I'm not particularly in the mood to write Xiaolin Showdown at the moment. But it does need to be updated. Prepare for a crappy chapter once again!!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it - and at the moment, I'm glad I don't. Toooooo much work.**

**Quick Random Thought: 12 O'CLOCK SHOWING OF HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE TOMORROW NIGHT WOOOOOOOT! (That was like... on Monday, and I saw Harry Potter on Tuesday Night (Wednesday at 12)**

**Chapter 10: Disaster On The Horizon**

With a delicate hand, Kimiko placed the stray piece of raven-black hair behind her ear. With pursed lips, she allowed her tired eyes to scan the table, scattered with multiple different dishes that hadn't even been touched. It was an arrangement of all American Food complete with everything from deep fried ice cream (she couldn't be sure where _that_ started), to a California Burger and golden, crisp french fries.

"How long have we been here?" She spoke, glancing up at the three others at the table. Raimundo and Omi had resorted to playing tic tac toe on a napkin with a pen Keiko had in her purse. So far, the brunette had one eight games, the bald teen had won one, and there were a total of nine games.

"_Too_ long. I'm going to puke if we have to eat any more food... I mean - some of this stuff we haven't even touched yet!" Keiko cried in distress, throwing her hands up in the air.

There weren't very many people left in the restaurant area - only at the bar. They had been there for over three hours, waiting for Cole and Lana to stop fighting, and come join them. Most everyone had left, considering their lunch hour was over, but there were a few who loitered in the bar. Of course, they were going to end up ordering everything on the menu by the time the siblings walked back in.

"I wonder what's taking them so long..." Raimundo started, only to see that Omi had indeed beat him a second time, "Shit..." He quickly went back to his game.

Kimiko watched as Raimundo used his blue crayon to create another board, this one bigger than the last. She could only imagine his eyes were starting to hurt from the dull lighting just as much as hers.

"I need to get up and walk around - I feel as though I've gained ten pounds. Stupid food..." Keiko was sounding slightly bitter, irritated her whole day was wasted just to come have lunch with everybody.

"What's better?" Omi asked, glancing up only to have his dark eyes dart back down to the white napkin, "Having them out there, or in here with us?"

"Good point..." Raimundo mumbled, placing an X in the upper left corner of the board.

"You don't particularly like, Lana?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"She seems to want something - I've got no clue what it is - and she's not about to tell me... Besides, she's related to Cole - there's something tricky with her."

"Interesting..." Keiko nodded, standing and stretching, almost touching the off-center light with her hands.

"Are you going to go take a look?" Omi asked, suddenly becoming very excited at being able to get out of the weary stench in the air that they had loved in the beginning - contrasting with how much they hated it now.

"Yeah..." She nodded, her hair bobbing at her shoulders, as they both walked out, seemingly silent; Kimiko knew they were talking in a hushed whisper as they thought they were so smart giving her and Raimundo alone time - she knew the plan though - it wasn't that hard to figure it out.

"So..." Raimundo started, wracking his brain for something to talk about with the Japanese girl sitting shyly in front of him.

"How's your band?" She questioned, feeling slightly stupid at the question; wasn't that the least of their worries?

"It's cool..." He nodded, "We've got somewhere to play tonight -" when he realized she was about to interrupt, he spoke faster, "- I mean way later tonight. It's not really even that important, but it's something we _should_ do... Any gig is better than no gig, right?"

"Sure!" She laughed and nodded, her hair falling in front of her face.

"What about you..." He trailed, thinking the question might not be the best to ask at a time such as that one.

"What?" She inquired thoughtfully, again pushing her hair behind her ear.

"It's kind of a personal question," he warned, turning his head so she saw his profile.

"It's alright," the girl took his hand over the table and squeezed it, ushering him to continue his questions, "we're personal people?"

He laughed at that, and turned to face her once again a serious expression - similar to a poker face - plastered to his features, and locking his emerald eyes with her sapphire ones, "Just how bad is your father's business?"

She pulled her hand away and sighed, dropping it in her lap, allowing her eyes to fall downcast as she did so. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell Raimundo, and she voiced just that, hesitating to continue. He took her hand, mirroring her moments from earlier, and squeezed it, encouragement flooding throughout her body like a shock. It was amazing how he tended to do that.

"My father is a remarkable man. He's always been there for me, and has never _ever_ forced me to do something that I didn't want to do. I love him very much, so please, from this, don't get the wrong impression about him," her voice was amazingly serious, and how she managed to hold herself together without any emotions flooding over her besides a sense of pride for her only living family left, was quite beyond her intelligence.

"Of course - I wouldn't think any other way," he informed her softly, letting on a toothy grin in an attempt to make the conversation a little lighter.

"Normally, I would not be included on any sort of business that he's letting in. Being the only child he had with my mother - and not having gotten remarried - I _am_ going to inherit that business. Of course, college will come soon for a business degree. I'll skip my generals, because I have my degree in music that I'm very happy with... And then after that I'll wait on him to pass..." She shook her head sadly and continued, finally looking up at him, "But so long as he's running the business, I shouldn't be something to bargain to get money..."

She stopped for a moment, and let that chunk of information seep into his mind, and mold there. She waited for some sort of response, but got none. He was determined to keep his opinion, through expressions and words alike, to himself until her story was over. That made her keep going.

"But if he _is_ willing to go through such ridiculous measures to manage to keep what income he's been working on almost his whole life afloat, then surely even though I don't know the exact extent, he's in a lot of trouble. He must have lost millions of dollars on something or another in order to pull me into the equation. If he's that desperate, I simply _can't not_ help him... Right?"

For the first time _since_ this whole ordeal had started just about a month ago, she questioned if what she was doing was right or wrong. Of course, she had talked to her father that day he told her she was going to stay with Keiko's parents yes, but she hadn't questioned him on his opinion if her decision - her _own_ decision, as in the one that was ultimately hers and no one else's - was a good one. In reality, she wasn't sure if Raimundo was technically the right person to ask, but there was no one else. Keiko was too obvious in saying it was a horrible one, but if she was doing it for her father, perhaps it was okay... She was the acception though. One couldn't think of asking their best friend who knows what _you_ want their opinion on what is _right_ and what is _wrong,_ unless of course you wanted a bad opinion.

"Kim..." He started, trying to think the situation through before he said anything he would regret, "For me... I don't think it's right - if you _really_ hate this guy. But for you to do it for your dad? Then yeah... I think then - coming from the person who wants to be with you... That then maybe you should stick it through just so your dad gets more money for the business. I mean - if my mom was in trouble like that, I would jump to it in a heartbeat."

Kimiko was quiet for a moment, thinking over what he had said, before turning her expression into a fond and smiling one, squeezing his hand again, "Thank you, Raimundo."

He simply laughed and scratched the back of his neck, "No problem."

"You know -" She was about to say something important to him, one that might make her and him both feel better about the situation. Unfortunately it was ruined when her cell phone rang; quickly picking it up she talked into it, "Hello? Papa... No I'm out to eat with him.... What do you mean 'it's an emergency'...? No, he's outside with his sister.... Just a few friends - no I'm not here alone... No, we'll be there... Soon... Yeah... Okay... Talk to you later....... Bye!" She hung up before he could say anymore.

"Is everything okay?" Raimundo asked, his voice skeptical; she could only nod in response, voicing that he just asked where they were and that it wasn't really too much of a big deal.

Moments after, Keiko and Omi walked back in, and sat down, completely drenched, Keiko's hair and clothes dripping, and Omi's shoes squishing on the floor when he walked. Quickly changing seats, Raimundo squeezed in with Kimiko so neither of them would get wet, versus the two of them, as the other two dropped themselves into the other side of the booth, squeaking the leather as they did so.

"Why are you two all wet?"

"It's down pouring outside! You can't hear it from in here - but holy _crap_!" Keiko made motions all over in the air, spraying water every which way in the process, using her arms to exaggerate what it was like.

"We couldn't even find Lana and Cole. They probably took refuge wherever they were last fighting."

"Stuck with Cole - ouch..." Raimundo joked, grinning, receiving all smiles back.

"We should probably get going then Keiko... I mean, I don't mean to cut things short, but Papa just called. He was wondering where Cole was - but we should just get back anyways..." She said with a curt nod, determined to get her point across.

She didn't understand quite what her father was fretting about on the phone, so urgent to talk to Cole, but it could wait because he didn't insist like he sometimes did. When the jade eyes of her best friend locked gazes her with, she could only shrug, answering a non-spoken question.

"Yeah, okay..." She nodded slowly, standing up and smiling, "If they do happen to find you two, and you're still here... Tell them we've left because they're boring us with their fighting."

"Will do!" Raimundo winked, although it wasn't directed at Keiko, more so at the girl standing suddenly shyly once more next to her.

It wasn't soon after they left that Raimundo's own cell phone began to ring. Grinning sheepishly at Omi who nodded sympathetically, he flipped open the small device, holding it away from his ear as automatic yelling burst through the ear piece.

"_Where have you been? We need you back we have to practice! It's down pouring so it's going to take ten times as long to get there!"_

It was indeed his band member, good old Jack on the other line. He was freaking out, as he always did before shows, and by now the brunette was completely used to it. The only problem was, was that today he wasn't in the mood to hear it, "Jack, I'm coming home right now... Just chill out okay? I know the timings better than you do, so I'll be there."

"_Like how you said that one time when -"_

"Jack!" He barked into the phone, embarrassed that the redhead was throwing such a fit. "I'm going to be there... I'll leave _right_ now to come back - just simmer down..."

"_You better be!"_ Raimundo couldn't actually blame Jack for being as psycho as he was acting. It was not too long ago that Raimundo had skipped out on a gig for a girl, and therefore the owner of the bar said amateurs like that weren't allowed to preform in his building. They hadn't been back to the place since, and no one really minded too much, although that wasn't technically the point.

As soon as he shoved the phone back into his pocket, he locked eyes with the short kid sitting across from him, "Sorry I've got to go..."

He waved it off, a gesture Raimundo much appreciated, and smirked, "We should do this again... Despite the fact we've been here forever, it's been really cool."

"Definitely!" He laughed and stood, stretching slightly before waving once and walking out the door, paying the bill at the counter to their waiter, giving him a healthy tip simply because he was cool - and ten times better than their waitress across the street.

When Omi and Keiko had claimed that it was raining, Raimundo thought they were exaggerating. Now he knew that they definitely weren't. If the weather kept up as bad as it was, the streets brimmed with people trying to find shelter from the downpour, and cars trying to move in the inch-thick liquid at their moist tires, it would surely flood the whole city. He jogged blindly for a while, in an attempt to get to his car (which he had so conveniently insisted that he and Lana take to the café, versus walking) before it looked as though he had been stuffed in a lake.

Finally reaching the red sports car, glittering when the aqua pelted against it, he noticed it still looked like one from a commercial, even _if_ it was getting harassed by the larger and colder raindrops that fell. Slipping into the driver's seat, he cursed at himself for getting the inside wet, and ran his hand across the dashboard in an attempted apology to the car. It was his baby, and he didn't want it to be mad (though somewhere in the back of his mind, he insisted to himself the car wouldn't have feelings either way), so he had to try and make every move to make it happier.

Pulling out of his excellent parallel parking job, he got started driving down the road. It was going deeper into the city, but still traffic didn't seem so bad. He knew somewhere up further, with the rain practically blinding him, even from inside the car, there was a park. It was a dead end straight, not even a road to take, and a right and left turn. He would turn right to go back to his band's flat, to get ready for the show.

But of course, as he quickly switched stations on the radio, he didn't realize he was closer than he thought. With widened eyes, he braced himself for what was to come.

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**A/N: Hm. It's an obvious cliff hanger ahaha maybe not O.o The true questions of life!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :D Sorry it took so long for me to update!!!**

**So last night, I saw Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince IT WAS AKLDFHALKJDFHAIFHAKJVHAKLJDRHUAIEWUHFKUJDNHV FREAKING AWESOME! I TOTALLY LOVED IT! And I laughed and cried - OHHHH so much better than the fifth movie in my opinion!!!**

**Where I went there were 15 theaters sold out. That's so freaking scary!! And I saw a Dobby masked person, and a bunch of people in robes, and people had wands and scars on their heads and it was great :D**

**Please review to tell me what you think!**

**-zesty-**


	12. 11: Promises And Memories

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in update.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or any of it's characters, and in no way am I making profit in writing this story.**

**Quick Random Thought: Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 12 - I LOVE YOU BOTH!!!**

**Chapter 11: Promises and Memories**

_Raimundo's PoV_

In the little bit that I remember of that day, I knew it wasn't very good. There were things crashing and people screaming, and everything on my body seared with pain. My eyes refused to open, and no warmth could be found under my skin. My senses refused to work, except for the playback of muffled sirens and calls, and the smell of something hot and steaming. I wrinkled my nose - I didn't like that smell.

The last thing I remembered? That was simple - I was eating at a place with those people... Who were they again? I couldn't even remember...

I know now that I absolutely hate rain, and that no matter _what_ happens - I will never like it ever again. I make that a promise to everyone - every day that I can open my eyes and mumble back and forth. They simply say "I know" or "shhhh, rest" and then I do so - I was so tired, and not to mention completely jumbled.

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_Normal PoV_

Raimundo's eyes widened as he braced himself for what was coming next... Squeezing his eyes shut, he held his breath, knowing he might not get another one for some time.

As the sports car dug itself into the strong, wide, and sturdy tree, it all crumpled together, the paint, parts, and objects in the vehicle molding together so tightly, it was as though it were made that way. Immediately smoke erupted from the from end of the car, and another car - unknowingly sharing a similar fate, although unfortunately it was a mini van - rammed into the back end of his car. Lurching forward, Raimundo's already damanged head hit the steering wheel, knocking him almost completely out.

He felt a warm taste in his mouth, the same substance sticky on the side of his face. Very weakly, he put a hand to his head and pulled it back, and through his swimming and failing, blotched with black, vision, he could see the blood. It terrified him - wasn't he just going home?

Yet another lurch had him uncomfortably squished between the seat and the steering wheel. Any more, and the branch from the tree that had stuck through his windshield and poked through the whole in the wheel would stab him in the chest. With what brain power he had left, he layed himself across the two seats, no matter how uncomfortable it was. He'd be dammed if he was taking down by a tree.

His eyes began to roll back into the back of his head, and from outside, one couldn't tell if it was a sports car anymore or not.

People all over the streets were screaming and whipping out cell phones, dialing 911, and some even trying to see through the pouring rain, of the cars were stopping or not. Unfortunately for the people involved in the crash, another car hit from behind, and a car that was coming from the right hit them from the side. Two cars from the left became involved, trying to swerve out of the way. They would have been successful too, if it hadn't been for the slippery road, and another car ramming their own turned sideways, into the mass of destruction.

The first car in this horrible mess was Raimundo. He didn't have anyone with him, and later he would thank himself for that. But the mini van behind him had a soccer mom, and half of her son's team in it. Their game had been canceled due to the rain, but no one was sure if any of them would get to play again. The car behind them still was a woman who was on her way to work, screaming into her cell phone, her anger raising, so she did not see the automobile in front of her. The car coming from the right side had a young adult and his girlfriend, talking of plans they would have once they got out of college. The first car on the left had a middle aged man and his three year old daughter, singing to the Disney songs coming softly through the radio. The second car on the left had tourists going to New York for their first time, their white I 'Heart' New York shirts stained with red, and finally the third car on the left, the truck, that plummeled into the two others, knocking them into the fray, was a man in his early forties, and his fifteen year old daughter learning how to drive.

The mess was a catastrophe that couldn't be taken care of quickly. Ambulances tried to get their as fast as possible, but the traffic made it so difficult, they feared they would be too late...

??

_Raimundo's PoV_

The more and more I lay across the seat, broken and confused, the more and more I tried to remember what had been going on before hand. If anyone would have asked me five minutes after the crash, I could have still recited each person's name perfectly, but now - thirty minutes after the fact - I didn't even remember how many persons there were to begin with.

Slowly, I tried to sift through my mind, the pain rising, especially in the more wounded parts of my body (that of which I didn't have any clue). It was the only thing I could do, to attempt to keep my mind off of the unknown situation. Why was I in my car in the first place?

I almost chuckled darkly to myself, my eyes clouding over, no longer seeing any brightness of the day. Not that I could see any to begin with, with the rain and such, but everything was mute now, and I feared the worst. I didn't want to die, and the more and more I thought of this, the more and more I began to get scared. Yeah, I know - _Me - _Who was I again?

??

_Normal PoV_

The air became feverishly cold, and one person from the ambulance began the journey to Raimundo's car, while almost half of his team tackled down the mini van. They opened the door, and had to turn for a moment, seeing the poor eight year old boys, and the mother who most were probably dead.

But quickly, their job instincts took over, and they began to see what they could do for them, and see who was still alive - who they should care about more at a time such as this. Another ambulance was on the left side of the wreck, helping the people in the cars smashed into the vaan. The boy on that unfortunate side had blood leaking out of everywhere possible on the left side of his face, but somehow he was still breathing, somehow he was still conscious.

"Mom?" He asked, raising his head with all of his strength, "Where's Mom? What's going on Mom?" The paramedic unbuckled the boy's seatbelt, him being the last out of that row to be taken out. Carefully, he was lifted out and asked to recite his name, as they quickly got to the ambulance.

The paramedics pasted the car with the young adult and his girlfriend. The blonde seemed to be in a worse condition than the girl, her tears leaking down her face though her right had was completely smashed up, she still tried to keep her boyfriend awake.

"Clay..." She mumbled, "You just got off of work, you can't _leave me!_" She cried, and unbuckled his seat belt with her good hand, and despite the concussion her head held, she helped out as much as she could, tears leaking out of her face as fast as a waterfall let water fall.

It seemed as though the whole thing was an unfortunate mess that they didn't want to be part of, but simply happened. The paramedic managed to get Raimundo's door open, and checked for his palse. It seemed as though his injuries were among the worse, making him cringe with the puddles of blood dripping onto the tightened space beneath the dashboard. Him and one other quickly pulled him out, although with a great deal of caution, placing him on a stretcher and quickly bringing him to an ambulance where he would ride with one other who wasn't that injured - the woman screaming into her phone behind the van.

She glanced at him, unconscious and cold, from the side bed of the back of the ambulance. Her vision swam, and she looked at him, her blonde hair falling in front of her face. Of course, with the amount of blood dripping from her split open head, her hair couldn't necessarily be called blonde anymore. Blinking her beautiful green eyes, she allowed them to shut, as the monitor she was hooked to started to jump. More paramedics jumped aboard, and they shut the doors quickly, signaling the people driving to go quickly.

The loud sirens started, making her eyes flutter open, but of course, the first thing she saw being the mangled brunette, her stomach could no longer hold the coffee and cinnamon roll she had for lunch, and it lurched into her mouth, but luckily they stuck bucket in front of her. After that she closed her eyes again, and smiled slightly for the brightness of the day she thought she had lost was coming back to her.

It was coming slowly, but she hoped she could still see it - and with a little segment of her mind, she hoped the young brunette was there seeing it too. No one deserved to suffer, but she realized this light - perhaps it was the light of death. Painfully she opened her eyes, and looked at the brunette again, studying his features more than his wounds.

He couldn't have been too much younger than she, only being twenty six, but not twenty yet. Perhaps nineteen? Her thin lips parted, the make up upon them long gone.

"What's his name?" The voice was hoarse and ridiculously foreign to her, but she told herself she wouldn't freak out.

One of the paramedics looked shocked at her, and smiled slightly, "Sweetie, once we figure it out, we'll be sure to tell you. You just remind us - and don't let yourself fall asleep... You wait to hear it okay?"

"Okay..." She mumbled, trying to keep her eyes open, but it wasn't working so well.

The voices that were seemingly buzzing in the small area were drowning out, and every so often, that particular sweet soprano voice would ring out to her again, telling her to stay awake. Some numb actions were happening to her too, but she didn't care what they were, she just wanted to know this boy's name - it made her upset that he could die, and she might never know it... No one else would no it either - not even the paramedics.

??

_Raimundo's PoV_

I couldn't remember anything, my head swishing back and forth, no voices or sounds to motivate me to keep going. I shut my eyes - or maybe they were already closed - and took in a ragged breath, ignoring the sting in my ribs. The only thought I could think of was that fascinating melody I must have heard once upon a time.

A beautiful song played on the piano one lovely night. That song triggered yet another memory. I had a promise.

_"I'm going to marry her one day..."_

The only problem was with this promise, was that... He didn't know _who_ he was supposed to marry.

??

**A/N: sorry for the shortness and randomness of people, but you know - that was a nice cliff hanger and I didn't want to keep going.**

**Hope you liked it - leave some love :)**

**-zesty-**


	13. 12: Unbelievable

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: Well, I apologize for the late update. My computer is making an .avi file to a .wmv file so that I can finish my video that I'm making :D Yaaaay!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown and in no way shape or form am I getting any profit from this story. I write it simply for the entertainment of others.**

**Chapter 12: Unbelievable**

What she saw on that television screen made her drop her glass of green tea and stare with horror at the screen. The bright sapphire eyes dulled with a realization that made her stomach twist in knots, and lurch itself into her throat. She swallowed hard, forcing everything back down so she wouldn't have to even blink.

It was an unbelievable mass of cars and people in the thick rain that clouded the camera's vision. The reporter was already soaking wet, and solemn, not even caring to get her story anymore. They camera just watched her talk to a few people who had seen the crash, or had been very near experiencing a car hitting their small, and seemingly pathetic bodies.

"Kimiko?" Her best friend asked from the other room, "Do you want a brownie?" She glanced at her friends face, and seeing the shock, traced her line of sight back to the T.V.

The camera man had been lucky enough to zoom in on the mangled body of a brunette being lifted onto a stretcher. The paramedics had no idea he was shooting that on live T.V. but at the moment, they wouldn't have cared anyways. Kimiko's stomach lurched again until she felt Keiko's cold hands on her shoulders.

"Kimi, let's leave the T.V. for now, huh?" She asked the girl, the tea shaking in her hand. She took the cup and put it on the table, leaning closer to the girl, close enough to smell the strawberry scent permanantly entangled into her hair.

She had always liked the smell, and everyone had always complimented her on it, Kimiko smiling the beautiful way she always did when people would notice. But right now it didn't seem as though the girl would get much of a response even if she told her best friend she was a hideous creature.

"It's Raimundo..." Blurry tears began to rim her pink eyes as she jumped up from the sofa, knocking Keiko back with the force, "Keiko that's Raimundo!"

Immediately the water works began and no one could exactly tell how she would react next. Fortunately, Keiko's super-best-friend instincts kicked in and she jumped the sofa, an amazing stunt for her petite body, and clapsed her friend in a bear hug. The girl turned around and began to sob, unable to stare at the T.V. screen any longer. Shaking her head, Keiko knew what the girl would ask next, and her suspicions were not long after confirmed.

"We have to go to the hospital - they'll take them to Lakeview!"

"Kimi, we can't drive in this rain, or surely we'll have the same fate as them..."

She shook her head furiously already throwing on a coat. She was out the door with some keys in a minute, although it would take her a moment to realize which car keys she took. Moving quickly, Keiko just about teleported to the kitchen pulling her mom's hand and moving as fast as she could move, zooming outside and to the garage, again capturing the girl in a hug.

She cried onto her shoulder for a moment while the blonde woman slowly took the keys from her porcelain hands. Cautiously she opened the back door for Kimiko and Keiko, allowing them to crawl in and shut the door before she seated herself inside the vehicle.

"You can't be impatient, Kimiko, okay? We don't want to get in a car crash either..." Elouise looked at the girl cautiously, who nodded her head, still blubbering like a baby.

Of course she had every right, Elouise knew for certain that girl wasn't in love with Cole, but with this brunette she had already heard so much about. They hadn't known each other long at all, but true love could take years to develop or strike in a single moment in time. It just so happened that they had had the lightning strike of love that no one ever expected.

They had met at one of the oddest places for people to meet, and somehow the woman believed that truly, the meaning must have had something to do with how they would be together again... Together by music, torn apart by an unsynchronized melody, and back together again by composition. It all made sense, now if only everyone else could see it...

??

When they finally made it to the hospital, Kimiko was out of the car almost before it stopped moving. Of course she was cautious about crossing the street and looking for cars and people, but the two family members feared what the young girl would find inside. Slowly the made their way to her. She had already gone inside the building, but they knew they'd catch up with her immediately - Keiko had described the image of Raimundo on the screen, so Elouise knew they wouldn't get in to see him right away...

Kimiko, pacing around anxiously, after bugging about five nurses for the status of the young, Brazilian boy and being rejected by all of them, figured it would take a while, but didn't want to stop and rest. Her feet only froze in motion when her cell phone rang. Shakily taking it out, she prayed it was a dream that she saw Raimundo, although in the back of her mind, and at the bottom of her heart, she knew that it was him... She wouldn't mistake that unruly, silky, chocolate mass of hair for anyone else but him.

"Hello?" She urgently asked, foolishly not checking the caller I.D.

"Kimiko? Where are you?" Her heart sunk when she heard who it was.

"What do you want, _Cole?"_ She growled, extremely irritated into the phone.

"Where are you? You aren't home?"

"_No_ I'm not _home_ I'm at the hospital..." She rolled her eyes as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

In tragic situations such as these, when people she did not like bugged her, her true potential of bitch came out and baked until it became fresh and a lot larger than it would be had she not been in such a crappy time of event.

"Why are you there? What's wrong?"

"There was a car accident -" she stopped herself mid sentence, scoffing, "why am I telling you? You completely ditch for lunch now you expect me to be at your side every time you call? Forget it, I'm hanging up!"

"Wait! No, Kimiko, your father wanted to have dinner with us tonight - he has some news to announce."

"I don't _care_ about news!" She sneered, tears in her eyes now; she knew in a moment she would break down, "I'll call him and reschedule..."

With that she hung up the phone by snapping it shut, then automatically flipped it open again. She would call her father and whine and complain and bawl until he finally gave in and caved - she wouldn't take no for an answer, no matter how irritated or upset he sounded.

But when she called him, she heard a cell phone coincidentally ring at the same time as the one on her ear did. Spinning around she saw her father rushing into the doors. Bursting into a new set of tears she ran over to him and clung to his shirt as though he were her life support.

"Oh Papa!" She cried out, burying her face in his silk shirt, "It's horrible! You should have seen it on the T.V! It was bloody and he was mangled - I don't know if he'll _live!_" Sure, she sounded melodramatic, but this was a big deal.

Immediately her father wrapped his strong arms around her, "It's okay, Kimiko." Despite the fact he had never met Raimundo, he knew his daughter was grieving the moment Elouise had called him.

He had dropped his meeting immediately - money or no money - and come straight to the hospital. He had to drive by the scene of the crash, and saw the mangled cars, and the mass of people still crowded around. By the time he had gotten to the hospital, everyone was already there being worked on and attempted to be saved. He just wondered, from the sight of it all, who exactly would die and who exactly would live...

??

Running a hand down the side of his face, Kimiko smiled slightly. He was alive - and although his condition was rather unstable, she demanded her way in just to see him. She would have to tell him, even if he was unconscious, that she loved him, and that he better fight to live.

"Raimundo..." She murmured, although her voice was still clear and soprano.

There was no sign that he heard her, but she kept talking anyways, "Please Raimundo..." She took in a breath, "I know I haven't known you for so long... But, it's just like all those movies when they know they've found the right person... And that they want to be with them forever... There are a lot of opsticles in the way for us, that's for sure - but this one is no different. You'll over come it so we can be together.... You have too..."

A few droplets of her tears fell onto the boys face, and she brushed them away with her thumb.

"I love you, Raimundo. It may seem way too fast and unbarring to say so, but I don't care... Not in a situation like that..."

She didn't force herself a lot of time, so she turned around after that, knowing the nurses would come in and tell her to leave anyways. She shouldn't have been in there at all, the smell of blood and surgery still clear in the room. Shutting the door quietly behind her, she breathed out, trying to calm her nerves, and walked back down the hall to where her friends and family wait for her.

But it was a sad thing... She didn't hear what he had to say back to her.

Although still unconscious, he moved his head ever so slightly to the side, and without open eyes or ears, he mumbled back, "I love you too..."

??

**A/N: A short chapter for an extremely long time to wait for an update. Hope you all forgive me and I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**

**-zesty-**


	14. 13: When You Trust Cole

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: Just because I feel bad for you guys and my lazy updating :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it - must I go through this every time?**

**Chapter 13: When You Trust Cole**

"I didn't leave too long ago - I didn't want to leave her..." Toshiro shook his head, his old eyes squinting in the yellow lighting of the restaurant, "I apologize it's so late..."

"It's quite alright..." Cole nodded, placing the napkin he'd been fiddling with for a few moments aside, "You really shouldn't encourage her..."

Toshiro turned to Cole in a second, his dark eyes glowing with shock, "What?"

"You know what I'm talking about..." He nodded nonchalantly, and took a sip of his drink, "It's obvious you encourage her to feel something for this... Man from a third world country."

Toshiro ran a hand through his greying hair. This wasn't what he had wanted to talk about with Cole, and he suddenly wished he had Kimiko there to lean on for support. It was very good news, though Cole wouldn't take it well. He knew he should have waited, but he figured it would cheer Kimiko up, and made it top priority to talk with Cole right away.

"Yes well... She loves him..." He laced his own fingers together and stared at them for a moment, before looking up at the stunned blonde in front of him, "She loves him a lot... I can see that."

"It's only been a few days..." He spoke slowly, chewing on each word and tasting it to make sure it sounded just right coming out of his mouth. He wanted every word, after hearing that information, to count for something powerful.

"I realize that, but Cole... Do you know such a thing about true love?"

??

_"It was true _love!_" His sister cried into his shoulder, her shoulder shuddering with each sob that escaped her usually smiling lips._

_"There's no such thing as true love, Lana..." He told her, eyes showing that he pitied what he had done to her, but only a little... Not enough to truly comfort her the way he was supposed to as a brother, "You see... You can find someone to be happy and content with your whole life, but you always wonder if there was someone _more_ perfect out there for you... _((Cole has a point there - although that's not true with every case))_ I'm sure that's the kind of love you thought you had with Asher... But trust me Lana, he and I are both males - I knew..."_

_"You knew _what?" _she asked exasperated and irritated that such things were going about the way they were._

_"That he was _not_ true love for you..."_

??

"Of course I do..." He scoffed, tracing the tabled edge with his finger, "Do you find me dumb, Toshiro?"

"Not in the least bit..." He took a sip of his tea, his eyes never leaving his soon-to-be son-in-law across from him, "But I do know what's right for my daughter... If I can say nothing else, I can say that."

His hand gripped the table hard, and looked up at the shorter man with a solid glare, "What are you saying?" He used his slow, menacing tactic again, though he knew he could never do anything to the man anyways - he would ruin every fiber of a chance then. It seemed as though with whatever information was coming next in this once though to be happy meeting, he would have to play to his liking, no matter what it was.

"I'm saying that..." His features almost broke into a grin, but he used his business poker face to control himself, "We don't need you to marry my daughter anymore, Cole... She's free of you, and you are free of her."

"_What?!_" He shouted, steam almost literally coming out of his ears.

His face was flushed with anger, and his eyes showed thunder and lightening. The man managed to earn their table a few stares from the waitresses, waiters, and other customers for a moment, before Cole turned to them huffing, and visibly forced them to look away with his death glare. Drumming his fingers on the table and shifting his weight to his other leg, he eyed the man in front of him, trying to calm himself down not to earn anymore glares.

"You heard me correctly..." His tone became a lot more business like than it had been at the beginning of the conversation. "I must take my leave now Cole and get back to my meetings... You wouldn't mind telling Kimiko for me, right? I'm sure you'd be delighted to be rid of her with her attitude right?"

Either he had absolutely no time to talk to his daughter that night after what all he had put off to be with her at the hospital, or he really truly thought that Cole didn't want to get married to Kimiko either. He had no clue their fighting was due to Cole's over obsessive attitude. That goes to show a person how lack of communication can ruin a person's life - in this case it would be Kimiko's.

??

Cole pushed the glass doors to the hospital open forcefully, and immediately saw Kimiko and Keiko curled up on the couch sleeping, while Elouise Tanaka sat reading a book ((I wonder where Keiko's dad is? Did I ever say?)) peacefully on the chair across from them.

Slowly he crept over to the trio, but Elouise stopped him with her own expression of pure rage. She didn't want him anywhere near the poor child when she was upset - it would only hurt her more at the moment. Glaring still when he didn't get the message, she slammed the book shut and got up. Because of age, or her odd genes, she towered over the blonde, pushing him back with her gestures without physically touching him.

"What do you think you're doing?" She growled.

"I'm going to wake Kimi up, I have some news."

The woman scrunched her nose at the nickname, she knew Kimiko wouldn't appreciate it - not from Cole anyways, "Can't you see she's grieving? She doesn't _care_ at the moment. It took forever to get her to go to sleep - she's exhausted, are you really that selfish where you cannot even let the girl sleep?" She asked, her voice raising a pitch with every word she spoke.

From what she had heard about Cole, and what things she had found out about him just from curiosity, she truly despised him, possibly more than the girls themselves. Before another word could be spoken, the doors burst open and a quiet bustle started to flow.

A group of five or six people walked through the doors, looking around furiously for Kimiko and Keiko. Who where they? Jack Spicer, Raphael Cortez, Lana Brooks, Adrenia Pierre, Omi Greensburg, and the bands bass player. ((Check author's note for that joke)

It was amazing, being in all different places, that they all managed to get into the doors at the same time. Quickly, they ran to the group, and this time, Elouise couldn't stop anyone, nor did she care to... She understood these people could not be as demon possessed as the blonde in front of her was. Keiko and Kimiko woke up immediately as Cole backed up, and the story and questions flew around the lobby like a pinball pelted across the board in an arcade game.

He slipped backwards, eyes glinting with a new found pissed feeling. Even his sister got more pride than him in a situation like that. He glanced at Kimiko, just for kicks, and saw his ring wasn't even on her finger anymore. Glaring slightly, he turned to leave the hospital.

??

Omi's hand never left Keiko's as the story progressed. He never noticed the glances from the redhead of the band at all, but everyone else could tell there was a steaming jealousy.

"I found something out!!" Keiko suddenly gasped, remembering information she had absorbed earlier, "Omi..." She turned to him, then to Kimiko, and soon to Lana, "Kimiko, if you were ever there you would have seen Lana, but our waiter at the second restaurant we went to - he was in the crash too! He's here in the hospital right now!"

They looked around at each other, sharing a private moment of understanding before they stood. They would go try and see if they could visit him, because he must have been going through a lot too. Kimiko forced her way to the desk, and with a slightly shaky voice, she asked the person at the counter for a 'Clay' in the hospital.

They came up with a few of them, then decided that it was Clay Bailey they wanted to go see. Quickly the three of them hustled up to the room, slightly afraid of what they would see. His wounds must not have been as bad as Raimundo's if they were allowing people to see him.

Omi knocked bravely (after being ushered by the two almost identical girls) on the door, before a blonde girl opened the door. Her short hair was messy and her make up was running, the skirt she wore was rumpled, and she wasn't wearing shoes.

"Hello..." He said shyly looking up at her face, "Is Clay awake?"

She nodded and opened the door to let them all in. He sat up as best he could with a confused expression on his face.

"Hey, Clay! We're from the restaurant!" Keiko chirped, trying to be as chipper as possible. The room was dreary, though dozens of bouquets already littered the room with pictures of people they had never met, and teddy bears and _lots_ of chocolate.

"I know you probably have no clue who we are -" Omi tried to be sensible, but the blonde interrupted.

"Ya'll are from that table..." His accent was slight, probably not as heavy as it used to be, "I waited just before I left."

Kimiko nodded, like she knew, although it was an unconscious thing. She was still in shock over Raimundo really being in that car accident, and the accident itself actually happening. But instead of dwelling on this, and letting her mind wonder into a place she couldn't pull it from, she forced herself to pay attention to the conversation at hand, so that if asked a question she didn't seem insane, though she sure felt like it...

"Kimiko..." She said automatically when eyes landed on her.

It must have been the answer they were looking for, because the blonde in the hospital bed nodded. His face was bruised and cut up pretty bad, though nothing would most likely scar. His arm and leg were in a cast, and his arm not in a cast was wrapped in bandages. No other damage could be seen from first glance.

"It's nice to meet ya'll, this is my girlfriend Ashley..." He smiled at the girl who walked over to him and squeezed his hand.

"Hi..." She said shyly, her voice hoarse from crying so much, "It's really nice that you decided to come visit Clay..." By the end she had hiccuped twice, and her voice cracked at the man's name. They had to be in a very serious relationship that wouldn't be broken by something such as that. She looked really affected - Kimiko noted it's probably how she looked.

"If ya'll don't mind me askin', who you here for? If I know 'em," Clay asked shyly, not wanting to sound nosy, but rather curious as to how all of them ended up there.

"The brunette..." Keiko glanced cautiously at Kimiko who stared at the ground, unconsciously giving Clay a sign not to push the subject after she had finished her piece, "That was sitting with us..."

He nodded, luckily understanding simply from that fragment of information.

"It's a real tragic thing that happened to us. But ya'll know he'll live through it, right? He don't seem like the kinda guy who has a life to give up..."

What he spoke made a lot of sense to them, and in the mean time made them feel slightly better. They were glad they had decided to come visit with Clay.

??

Cole sat at a stoplight, cursing out loud for the umpteenth time in five minutes. He was infuriated from the events at the hospital, and the restaurant. As he replayed both conversations he had had with the adults in his mind and swore again.

"Fuck it then!" He growled, revving his engine impatiently. Suddenly he grinned rather evilly, although he felt stupid for not thinking of it before...

Of course for his plan to work, he would have to move quickly, before someone could get the information back to the Japanese Girl.

First he would break Kimiko and Raimundo up - he had done it plenty of times before - he could do it again...

Then...

He simply wouldn't _tell_ Kimiko the information that was instructed to be told to her... He wouldn't tell her that the wedding was off... Because it wasn't - if he had anything to say about it.

??

**A/N: Okay, so the joke with the bass player... My cousin watched this movie one time, where because no one knows the names of the bass player in bands (stereotype for the most part, but it's kinda true admit it) - and the whole movie, they made a point **_**not**_** to call the bass player by his name.**

**. . . . . . . . . . . Maybe it's just funny cause I'm slightly tired :D**

**I'm really glad I got this chapter done. I liked it a lot and I completely shot through it - very quick chapter :D I hope you all enjoyed it! I finally have an idea for where this story is going to go! Though I'm not sure if I'll take that direction or not. It took me 14 chapters, but I think I have my plan.**

**Sorry I'm talking so much (and the random ((author notes)) in the chapter), I tend to do that (AND talk to myself) when it's late and I'm on the tired side... Hahah whoa I'm like an insane person when I'm tired. Drunkeness!!! :P Though I don't drink. Hrm, what could this mean?**

**So sorry again for the lack of updating in the last 9 days (minus today) - I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and again I apologize for my rambling (one big ass author's note!) Leave some Love if you wish - though it's HIGHLY appreciated!**

**-zesty-!!!**


	15. 14: Talk Of Past

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: Well... I apologize for the... Once again late update, but I'm working on it right now :D Promises.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything but this idea.**

**Chapter 14: Talk Of Past**

Kimiko walked down the hallway, trying to take in as little breath as possible. She hated hospitals, as nothing happy ever seemed to come out of them for her. Anyone she knew - when they were in a hospital, they never came back out alive. She sighed and looked at the floor. The glossy whiteness made her shutter, wondering how in the world anyone could work there...

She passed a lot of different rooms with the doors slightly ajared, seeing people with gunshot wounds, or cancer, or the flu that hadn't been taken care of, people with memory losses, and even other people in the car crash. It seemed as though the doctors needed quick access points to everyone here, and she shook her head, not understanding how anyone would want to stay here. If she were in this position, she would _force_ her body to heal - hospitals scared her much too much.

When she was so small, she remembered her first time in the hospital. She loved the bright place with lights, and friendly people. A lot of people bustled around, and a lot of the time she would see kids her age. That was a hospital in Tokyo, as there were friendly hand made and hand drawn things on the walls to cheer people up, and lots of windows and plants as well. But she also didn't understand why she was there. Her mother had just been in a car crash, and was going to die. Her father gripped her hand, and she remembered she never understood why he looked so upset. Suddenly, walking down the hall, thinking about the vague memory, she realized that's when he started to look so much older than he actually was.

She wondered slightly if she looked older than her true age now, worrying about more than one person, and the well beings of others. She remembered the more column time (because she was older) she was in the hospital. It was with her father, and Keiko's family. She couldn't fathom being that old and losing her mother, and it still made her sad for her best friend. In all reality, stopping to look at the pretty pictures on the walls no longer soothed her mind when someone was in the hospital, just as it didn't when she looked at them now.

There was a slight chance Clay wouldn't make it out of the hospital, he had said so to them the moment they had gotten on the subject of how bad his injuries were. There was an even bigger chance Raimundo wouldn't make it out - as no one was _still _allowed to see him. The nurses said he was in the brunt of the accident, the car that had lost control first, and he seemed to have the worst of the injuries.

She pictured the brunette's car smashed into a tree, as she saw on the news, and she really wondered what he would say had he made a joke about it. "Damn tree..." she murmured, smiling slightly to herself; it was such a Raimundo thing to say.

"Hey..." The voice behind her surprised her, but she turned around anyways.

"Hey..." She smiled, looking at him fondly now, rather than creeped out the first time they had met.

"So like... I know this probably isn't a really great time to come talk to you... You must be sick of thinking about it."

"Trust me, Jack..." She chuckled darkly looking at the redhead, "My mind hasn't strayed one bit..."

He let out a low chuckle himself, "You know... When Rai and I were a little younger... We met in Brazil."

"Oh?" She questioned, blowing a stray piece of hair out of her eye to get the full view of the goth with his hands in his pockets, looking like the most nonchalant person he could ever be in a situation like that; she figured someone like that would be positively spazzing out.

"Yeah... I was in Rio with my parents..." He smiled slightly, recalling the memory...

??

_"Really, why can't we do something semi fun?" He groaned, his crimson eyes glaring at the boring things passing them on the street._

_"Hush, Jack..." Anna Spicer warned, although her eyes said the same as him - complete boredom._

_"You know you agree with me, Mom." He moaned, using his whining tactics in hope she would take him with her whenever she went to do her shopping._

_"You two be quiet, _please_," Paul Spicer nodded, hoping that if they were to come across the people they needed to see, the two of them weren't being annoying stupid._

_"Mom, let's go do something..." Jack whined again, his fiery red hair blowing in front of his face._

_Anna looked at Paul, her face bleeding as he sighed, "So long as you just meet me back at the hotel room..." He nodded slowly, knowing that they would do anything just to get away from the boring place they were at._

_It wouldn't do them much good, neither of them knowing the language, and wandering aimlessly. He would end up having to go out and find them, a search crew at his heels, but he couldn't possibly meet this client when his wife and son were _both_ whining, whether with words or without, to do something to occupy their time._

_They shouldn't have gone if they were going to be so damned annoying._

_Anna lead Jack away, looking at the glorious shops as Jack's heart soared. Finally away from his dumb ass of a father, he could sneak away from his mother too._

_"Mom?" He questioned, making his voice as sweet and innocent as possible, as he opened his crimson eyes just a little wider._

_"Yes dear?" She asked, glancing down at her son with a curious tone filling her voice. She saw his face and knew immediately what he was getting at, "You're hungry aren't you?"_

_"Dad didn't give us enough time to eat this morning!" He protested in his defense against her irritated expression. She gestured around, asking him where he wanted to eat, but he could only shrug._

_"You have to pick somewhere Jackie..."_

_He cringed at the nickname - oh how he hated being an only child sometimes... Shaking his head he started wondering the streets, daring his poor mother in high heels to keep up with him. At eleven years old, he was just as adventurous as every other boy, although he had more intelligence than most - to know what to do. Though his father didn't know it, Jack learned a little of the language encase any of the imbeciles didn't speak English. This trip had been planned for months, and he wasn't about to let it go to waste._

_After wandering on the streets, barely hearing his mother's calls behind him again, he found himself on a beach sidewalk, people of every ages with tanned skin, and some with slightly paler skin (he could only assume as the tourists) surfing, playing volleyball, lounging and doing everything else normal people did on the beach._

_The rays of sun hit Jack's black T-shirt, filling it with heat he groaned about. Of course, he wasn't about to go out onto the beach - he only wanted to check it out. To step onto the beach would be breaking a rule... A rule he set for himself ever since their kindergarten class trip to the beach, and him almost drowning - he would never step on a beach every again._

_There was a raucous behind him, but unfortunately for Jack, when he turned to see if it was his mother or not, he ran smack dab into a brunette with tan skin and stunning green eyes. Both of them toppled into the sand, in which Jack immediately began to panic about. Images of his silly fear swallowing him whole caused him to let out a yelp, and scamper to the sidewalk again._

_"Sorry dude!" The brunette grinned, standing and shaking his hair free of the sand. He was in swimming shorts, and behind Jack were two shorter people who looked a lot like the one that ran into him, giggling and shying away from the pair. "I'm Raimundo!" He held out his hand, his pearly white teeth seemingly glistening in the sun._

_Already Jack didn't like the kid. He was too hyper, too tan, and definitely was too inconsiderate to other people's fears. Although it wasn't really fair to judge, his more intelligent side told him inside his head (he supposed he should blame the one with the name Raimundo for his consciences arguing as well) told him the brunette people didn't know about his fear of the beach._

_Reluctantly, Jack decided to be nice and shake hands with him, "Jack."_

_"Dude, what in the heck are you doing wearing a black shirt, jeans, tennis shoes, and _gloves_ out here at the beach?!" He asked bewildered, gesturing to Jack's clothes._

_As he began to feel self conscious, there were more giggles behind him. He turned to glare, but Raimundo stopped him._

_"Oh! My apologizes Mr. Albino -" Jack already hated the nickname given to him, "These are my siblings. Felipe and Maria..." He smirked and put his arms around both of them who were a lot shorter than him._

_"Nice to meet you..." He mumbled, accepting to introduce himself to new people so long as he didn't step on the sand._

_"So, why don't you come out to the beach with us, Jack?" Maria asked, her sparkling emerald eyes glimmering with hope of making a new friend._

_"Yeah! Come on!" Raimundo was about to run out there when he stopped, doing a double take to catch the distorted expression of fear on Jack's face..._

_"I don't like the water... Or the beach... I'm albino, remember?" He tried to turn it into a slight joke, but it didn't work as well as planned._

_"You don't like the water?! Well come one! We have to fix that!"_

_"_What?!? No!!!" _Jack had to explain fast, and he figured the truth would be the most convincing, "When I was little i almost drown. That is a fear of mine in which you should _respect_," he emphasized the word to really get his point across._

_Raimundo only snorted and pushed him off the sidewalk into the sand, "We'll fix that!"_

_??_

Kimiko looked at the redhead, stunned at the story she just heard. "_That's_ how you both met?"

"Pretty odd way to meet, right? We decided after my little swimming lesson I wasn't going to swim anymore, as I reminded quite a few different people of a drowning cat. Though, my mother didn't mind it much. Once she saw I made my first friend that wasn't a rich snob, even she could see it - that's how bad my parents were, she wasn't mad at me anymore."

"Awww... How cuute!" She cooed, her long eyelashes batting to win over the affection of the story. "You have to admit it's definitely a story to tell!"

"Please..." He snorted, rolling his ruby eyes, "You were basically falling asleep."

She laughed then, allowing herself to loosen up around Jack. The way he talked about Raimundo's free spirit almost had her fooled that he could walk out of the hospital completely unhindered. "I like you, Jack... You're way different once you get to know you... Than the creep in the elevator."

"Thanks?" He questioned, scratching his head, only to earn a few more giggles from her.

She kissed his cheek then, causing him to blush, "I really appreciate you making me feel better... You're one of the first to succeed..." With a smile she walked away, pulling her hair into a bun on the way, leaving a satisfied Jack in the hallway, to stare at the pictures that never really helped people feel better anyways...

Kimiko decided it was the people you had around to make you feel better in a bad situation, not just in a hospital, but everywhere - not the surroundings. To this she smiled, she seemed to like Raimundo and his atmosphere more and more as the day went on, and he wasn't even trying anymore...

??

**A/N: So I apologize for the last update. I left for a while, and then I totally **_**forgot**_** to update, then I thought the flashback sucked so I had to redo it a couple times hahaha... :D I hope it wasn't too horribly bad though. I think Raimundo might wake up next chapter. Yayness! Rai! I love him!!**

**Tell Me What You Think!**

**-zesty-**


	16. 15: The Sun's So Bright

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: Okay... I said I might have a plan... I lied, cause I don't remember it anymore. Funny how things like that work out, huh?**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it. Am not making profit. Let's cut to the point, shall we?**

**Chapter 15: The Sun's So Bright**

Birds chirped in the early morning, as everything was mostly silent in the room. When emerald eyes cracked open, he was _not_ expecting what he would find.

First, a series of unfortunate shots of pain flooded through his body, making him wince, even though the only thing moving were his eyelids. His eyes began to pulse, as there was too much light in the room for him to even fathom how he would ever be able to see again.

But slowly and surely, he opened them, and looked around. Balloons and flowers, teddy bears and chocolates, and not to mention a whole lot of other things that everyone thought Raimundo would enjoy (panties from fans who were willing enough to go through with it, condoms from others fans, and things of the sort Raimundo would have gotten a kick out of, had he not been in complete pain - though they were doing a good job at cheering him up) along with a few cards laying on the table next to the bed.

He couldn't move around a lot - that much was certain, though there was too much pain to sort where it was coming from. Ever so slowly, his eyes adjusted fully around the room, and when they were at their full power once again, he began to think of the accident.

He wasn't sure how it had happened, but he knew it was bad. The faint mumbles of names, screams and sobs of witnesses, and the calls and yells of paramedics. It made his head hurt just thinking about it, but as soon as he didn't, his mind shifted to a certain girl he had clung to for some sort of hope when all there was in his world was pain.

"Kimiko..." His voice was hoarse and unfamiliar, but he knew he had to find the girl he had spent so much time with.

Though the details were still fuzzy to his frazzled brain, he knew the promise was to her... He knew that everything he had thought about had definitely been about _her_... He had to find her and tell her. From this incident, memories came rushing at him like a truck to a deer caught in headlights... He might not have lived - he might not have fought to the fullest to win over her love... Something inside of him had suddenly snapped... This made it all the worse for him - considering the fact he had to tell her.

He supposed, laying in that bed, it took something life threatening to truly realize your feelings for someone. And there he was, finding the more and more he thought about her, the more and more he realized the fullest extent of the feelings he shared towards her. He didn't want to be with anything else for the remainder of his life, no matter how short or long it had to be.

But his thoughts were all interrupted when the door opened. At first his heart leaped, as he hoped there was some nurse to give him medication to take the damned pain away, or someone to comfort him, but who he saw made him sick to his stomach.

"Hello, Raimundo..." Cole ominous voice broke through the reverie Raimundo had in the room, and the brunette then figured it might be nice to have it a little brighter - perhaps the vampire that just entered (as creepy looking as every) would cower and leave him alone.

"What do you want?" He asked, his voice not coming out as strongly as he would have liked; this only made Cole grin more.

"It's really ashame you're stuck in here... All alone with no one to look after you..." He shook his head, and Raimundo swore he saw a glint of insanity in his eyes.

His brain, due to the drugs, came up with some crazy speculations on why exactly Cole came off as he did at that moment, and it made him shiver, although it had nothing to do with the temperature of the room.

"What do you want?" He repeated, his voice stronger.

"I want you... to leave Kimiko alone. Just walk out of her life - it's all I ask..." He raised an eyebrow, as though to challenge him to ask questions.

Raimundo would take that challenge, "Why do you possibly think I'll do that?"

Cole moved about the room, looking at the things people had brought in for him. "You've been in a slight coma Raimundo... It's been a week since the accident."

"A week?" He questioned, his strong front temperarily damaged with shock; the blonde nodded.

"A week... And Kimiko has barely left the hospital. Although, she and a few other unimportant people came in, hearing you mumbling, and then were kicked out again with a spike of the heart monitor, I am the first to talk to you since you left the restaurant last week..."

"What's it to you? Why are you here?" He demanded, his voice dripping with accussations and suspicion.

"You're life depends in these machines and such, right here in this very room... Where as... Shutting them off could kill you..."

His eyes widened, the truth behind his words striking the brunette with unhindering force, causing the monitor to spike for just a moment. He could taste the fear in his mouth...

"What?" He asked, disbelief filling his tone, "You're insane, Cole..."

The blonde chuckled. This was all a lot of talk, coming from him. He could never truly kill the brunette, at least at the moment he couldn't... But, the fear in Raimundo's eyes was too good to pass up, so he would play crazy - it went well with his plan.

"Am I?" He questioned, turning so his profile faced Raimundo, "Am I? To do something of the such for the woman I love...?"

In a dark whisper, he heard the brunette's reply, "If she doesn't love you back..."

Cole only chuckled, "I've done a lot of dark things in my life, Raimundo... This would be... No different." Watching his eyes widen, he could have snorted at how ridiculous the lie was. So Cole might have come off as overprotective, but did he come off as a murder?

Raimundo on the other hand, couldn't doubt that Cole's words were the truth. "Stay away from Kimiko... And you won't die, and she won't die... Do you understand what I say, Pedrosa?"

The brunette could only nod. If it was his life, he would go immediately to Kimiko... But with the dead seriousness on Cole's face, he couldn't doubt what he spoke was the truth... and he couldn't put Kimiko in that danger... he just couldn't.

With one last wicked smile, the blonde turned, "Gooood....." He declared, walking out of the room, letting the door fall shut loudly, leaving the brunette with his even more shaken thoughts...

??

Kimiko sat in her car, waiting at the traffic light, adjusting herself in the seat so she could see out of the rearview mirror. She was on her way back to the hospital, and though she was more composed now (to the extent where Keiko and Elouise would allow her to drive), her best friend still insisted she meet her there, just incase any changes in Raimundo's condition were to occure.

She found it odd, really... She hadn't heard much from Cole in the last couple of days, or her father for that matter. Though he seemed to be in a more cheery mood, and almost expected her to be too. She didn't quite understand why - he must have known she was miserable, balancing an unwanted marriage with the close death of the person she truly wanted a chance to get to know.

These thoughts were contemplated, taking her mind off of the things she should have been worrying about. Her father had gleefully informed her that someone wanted her to preform a piano solo, and she had eagerly agreed. She hadn't had a lot of time to work with her music much as of late, but perhaps it would help take her mind off of the things that were happening in her personal life. After all, she hadn't gone through those grueling yet entertaining years at that school, only to never use the skills she learned.

Kimiko had an interruption to her thoughts when her cell phone rang. Expertly picking it up, she held it to her ear, and in as chipper of a voice as she could muster, smiling slightly as she did so, she asked, "Hello?"

"Kimiko?"

Her heart sunk at that voice, as her own turned snippy, "What, _Cole?_"

It surprised her enough that there was no immediate, snide remark, and that told her something. She began to pay more attention to him, as he let the drama build.

"Kimiko..." He breathed, an upset tone filling his words.

"_What_?" she asked, exasperated.

"Raimundo's dead..." He murmured, his voice filled with just as much shock as she felt.

"What?" She asked, gasping at the same time. It was at this moment she pulled over to the side of the road so she could focus her attention on what the blonde had to say on the other end.

"I was here at the hospital..." He shook his head, and though she couldn't see it, she could feel him do so, "And I asked them how he was doing... His heart just suddenly spiked, and then stopped..."

"Oh no..." Kimiko's eyes immediately filled with tears she knew she couldn't drive with, but even so, she wanted to get there, to find out if he spoke the truth, "I don't believe you... you _must_ be lying!" Though her heart wasn't really in her words.

"I'm so sorry, Kimiko..." He shook his head, despair filling his tone.

It was then that she hung up the phone, deciding she was going to floor it, as fast as possible, to the hospital. She wanted an inkling of hope, at least until she got there, that he had not died.

??

With the force that the glass doors were thrust open, it was a wonder still to this day, how they didn't break. Kimiko Tohomiko has burst through the doors with such power, for such a frail frame, stumbling and crying all the way, catching herself into when she reached the counter in the hospital.

The fear that had built up with the rest of the ride over was absolutely unbearable, her chest heavy with a sudden dawning feeling that she didn't quite understand. He might be dead... That much was true, but he could also be alive, couldn't he? Or perhaps it was a greater power in her chest - to know that she hadn't done everything she could to tell him she loved him before he died.

It also took a situation much like this one to realize how much love you surely felt for someone. To know that they're gone, regret filling your very being until surely you know you'll die of a heartache. This was the kind of thing people talked about when they mentioned "love lost when it's only started"... This was the kind of thing Kimiko prayed never happened to her in her entire life.

"Raimundo Pedrosa...!" she sobbed, trying to catch her breath at the same time.

The receptionist suddenly put on a sad face, glancing down at the desk, as though making a decision. At this very time, Cole walked down the hall and into the lobby, glancing at the receptionist with a hard expression. She looked back up, and with rather depressed eyes answered Kimiko's question with not a room number, like she had expected, but something far worse.

"I'm sorry, Miss... he passed away..."

All the tears seemed to evaporate from her, as she straightened up, with the essential shock of him one-hundred percent being gone... Her delicate and porcelain hands slide off the marble counter, and to her sides, gripping the side of the skirt she had decided to wear that sunny day.

It had started bright, where she assumed maybe things would be okay... Now she just wasn't quite sure what was going on. As almost reading her mind, Cole strode over to her, and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. That's when she fell into him, not knowing where else to turn, and began to sob, feeling more of a heartbreak than before.

For the first time in her life, Kimiko Tohomiko was broken enough to accept comfort from people she swore she would forever hate...

??

**A/N: So I had some pretty crazy thoughts about Cole. I thought about pulling out a twist, and having him have a super dark past, complete with murder of his father and such - but then I think of the title "He's just not right for you" and I figure **_**That is so something saved for another fic**_** as this story wasn't even going to have a car crash in it!! But now it does :D**

**Dumbass Cole... I do wonder though what you all will think of the chapter :D I look forward to hearing what you have to say!**

**-zesty-**


	17. 16: Gullible's Not Really My Thing

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: I have my plan back :D I'm happy now lol. Except Sony Vegas doesn't work -.-" and I wanted to make my movie sob.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. By the what? Sixteenth (seventeenth including the prologue) you all should really know that by now...**

**Chapter 16: Gullible's Not Really My Thing**

Electric blue pumps clicked on the empty halls of the hospital, the woman's jeans swooshing back and forth as she walked with haste.

"Miss?" A voice caught her, and she froze in her tracks, squeezing her eyes shut, as though turning invisible on the spot. "Miss, what are you doing back here? Visiting hours are over..."

"Oh..." She turned, looking upset for a moment, before looking up, "I'm not a visitor."

"Oh? Then what are you doing here?" The nurse crossed her arms, her hazel eyes boring into the brunette suspiciously.

"I'm an...." She looked around for a moment, pursing her lips, trying to figure out what to say, "Inspector! I've come to inspect... The hospitals. I got the pass not too long ago..." She put a finger to her lips, clutching the purse she held, "I wasn't supposed to tell, as you know... inspectors normally go _without_ telling people... but since you ask and everything..." she trailed, looking as though she truly regretted telling the nurse.

The nurse nodded, as though completely embarrassed, "I do apologize, Miss... please keep to your job." She hurried away then, quick to get out of the humiliating situation. The brunette could only smirk, and continue her way down the hall mumbling.

"Inspector? Do I even look like one?" She glanced down at her obnoxious shoes, and chuckled to herself, knowing quite well that the nurse was as gullible as everyone said they were. With a shake of her hair, she glanced around, reading the door numbers, clicking her fingers on her black purse. "Where is it?" She growled to herself, silently cursing about how she hadn't payed attention to it before.

Finally, peeping her head up into a window, she saw what she was looking for - a room full of bright things scattered all over the place. She pushed open the door, and allowed herself a look at the occupant with a smile.

"Raimundo..." She breathed, eyes widening at her instinct being correct.

He turned his head, his chocolate hair falling before his emerald eyes, "Lana?" He questioned, eyes widening immensely, "I thought that Cole would have -"

"He did..." She confirmed his unfinished question with a nod, and a slight smile before slipping into a chair, "Everyone else believed him... But that's because they don't know Cole. Gullible is not really my thing..." She smirked, "I've been played by him too much."

"But how did you -" He was still confused, a sense of relief flooding through his body, blocking out any worry or pain.

"Relax... Don't freak out... I'm posing as a hospital inspector -"

He interrupted her again, "Do those even exist?" He received a shrug in reply.

"Not a clue..." She glanced around the room, to see all the pretty things still not taken out yet, for everyone in the hospital besides the one receptionist Cole had to convince, were still taking care of Raimundo because he was alive. They would just figure all the people sending him these things had gone away for a while...

"I'm glad you're here..."

"I'm glad I could make it here... Though I do have to admit that we need a plan. There's no way we can just walk you out of this hospital alive."

"And why not?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, his tan skin glinting with the sunlight leaking through the shades on the window; he felt worlds better, he couldn't even fathom how happy he was that Lana was there beside him, _still_ helping him against the wrath of her psycho brother through everything.

"Cole would find some way around it... Cole could _do_ something... What did he say to you when he was here?"

"I thought he was pure serious when he said that Kimiko and I... could get hurt."

"It's just as well... he was bluffing, but of course, taking precautions might be nice. Kimiko's in a bit of a denial right now. She's putting up with Cole, she's got nothing to lose. It's so sad, Raimundo... to see what's happening to her. It's like the music has completely left. She's tried to play a lot more lately, but..." she trailed shaking her head.

"How did you see through his lies Lana, and know I'm here?"

It had been three days since Cole had announced Raimundo dead to Kimiko. In that room he lay, haunted by what could happen depending on which choice he decided to follow. Did that count for going back to his band? What would they say - surely someone would tell them... but what truely haunted him, is how anyone could believe Cole. He didn't understand.

"Cole managed to pay off a receptionist - you know those doctors are so greedy sometimes - and on top of that... Give her something she wanted - lonely, low slut that's all I'll say about that... And then she told Kimiko. Everyone believed it, including myself. But there was such a dramatic change in attitude from Cole every so often that I had to come see for myself. Those mood swings of his usually means that he's up to something..." She shook her head, "I couldn't stand by and watch Kimiko slowly tear herself apart. I don't know what happened between you guys, but she really must have figured out how much she truly loved you."

"It feels like I've known her forever..." He confirmed.

She could only nod, "The first thing we do is see how fast I can get you out of the hospital. I covered the bills already, and you seem to be in okay shape. Talk about a lot of white blood cells," she joked, in an attempt to make the conversation lighter than it was.

Raimundo toyed with the sheets that covered him for a little bit, letting the information soak in as Lana moved around the room, busying herself with things that Raimundo might want to keep, and things she should just dump in the trash. There were things such as pictures from friends, and even the family who could afford to come to New York to see him (though it had happened in the week he was unconscious - they didn't have enough money to stay up in the states), and she knew he'd want to keep them. Other things like week old chocolate, cake, and other things of the like, stale from being kept open so the fresh scent could fill Raimundo's room, she would throw away.

It seemed that Lana wanted to help a lot more than she had first shown.

"Lana?" He questioned, his eyes averted to his bed, where he wiggled his toes to see how much pain was in his legs. There wasn't a lot, he had to admit.

"Yeah?" She questioned, dropping her purse onto a chair, and digging through some fresher chocolate, popping one into her mouth sheepishly.

"I remember..." He slowly started, really not caring she was eating the food - it was better someone eat it than himself, as sick as he felt at the moment from events currently pasted, "That I would do a favor for you, once this was all over..."

Lana began to slow down her motions, her brightly colored eyes glancing toward him with uncertainty.

"What was this favor? I want to know..."

She sighed - she would have to tell him eventually, and right now seemed like a good time to do so. "In order for you to be able to find Kimiko again..." she shook her head slightly, "We're going to have to know each other a lot better than we do now. I suppose... Though it's a touchy subject I _prefer_ not to bring up again after this... I should tell you."

He nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"I don't think you know this... But I _was_ engaged at one point..." She smiled, thinking back on the most fond memories she had floating around in her mind these days. "To a man named Asher..."

Raimundo raised an eyebrow, confused as to what all this had to do with a favor including him. His mind went wild (again from the drugs) with the possibilities, though he forced himself to focus enough to see if it was true.

"But Cole did relatively the same thing he had done to you and Kimiko... He kept us apart. He had told Asher of the problems my father had been having with the family business, the one Cole now owns and absolutely rakes in the money... But that's really beside the point, he told him how I would try and do anything to get money, and although Asher wasn't rich, he did have some wealth backed up behind him when his grandfather died... Cole told him I was using him just for the money..." She shook her head, horrified even as the story passed through her lips.

Raimundo couldn't say much about the subject, completely baffled to learn about this piece of information concerning Lana's past. She had been so happy and upbeat, as though there wasn't a thing in the world that really bothered her, except for her brother, but now seeing this side of her, and the way here eyes prickled with unwanted tears, he began to wonder more and more.

"I did love him. I loved him more than anyone in the world. I believe Cole was mad... Cole was mad that I was getting something wonderful, when he was getting squat, especially with this business he had grown up knowing he would take on and be successful at, going down the drain... He still, to this day, doesn't think that I know about why Asher suddenly called me out of the blue, and broke up with me..."

A small smile, sad and upset with memories she tried to hide passed over her pink lips, "I didn't know it then. But I do know it now, that even after I trusted Cole for so long, and we had such a nice relationship over the years, he still betray me because he was jealous. Talk about sibling rivalry, right?" She tried to make light of the conversation, but Raimundo could see past that, therefore didn't laugh.

She wiped at her eyes, "Anyways... I tried to talk to Asher, so many times. Called him, begged him, met him for coffee, and everything. It was apparant all the time from the hurt in his eyes, I hurt him bad, and I knew he wouldn't want to date for a long time. Especially since I kept bugging him about this. I tried to tell him - beg him that I loved him, and that I don't understand why we broke up. After I found out the real reason, I had even tried to contact him again. I got a hold of him once, but didn't get the true point out. All I figured out was that he was still hurting..."

She suddenly looked at him, determination filling her features as she clutched onto her purse, her black nails blending in with the purse, making her slightly pale skin contrast against the dark of it all nicely, "I want you to talk to him for me."

"Me?" He almost squeaked, but caught himself before doing so and cleared his throat, "Why me?"

"If someone has proof that Cole has done this to someone else... Perhaps Asher will realize what the truth is. A lot of people tell me, over and over again, whenever I try and ask for their help, that if Asher really did love me, that he wouldn't have left me... But Cole... You _see_ how excellent of a manipulator he is... I just..." She trailed, not knowing what else to say.

Raimundo sifted through the thoughts in his head. Out of everything he had expected, that certainly wasn't one of them. He thought for a moment, debating his options. She had helped him, and was _still_ helping him... But he didn't know if he could do something like that for her. But one look at her upset face, truly etched with emotion, he nodded vigorously.

"I'll help you Lana..." He smiled, "Because you helped me, I'm going to help you. My life is coming back together because of you, and I'll help you gets yours."

She squealed, possibly a little too loud, before running over, and hugging the daylights out of him. Though a small amount of pain shot through his body, he laughed and hugged her back, joyful that her normal personality was showing through again.

"Thank you so much, Raimundo Pedrosa, you have no idea how much this means to me!" She kissed his cheek, and squirmed a little more, before calming down slightly. "What all do you think is still wrong? I mean, you've been in here for a week and a half... You didn't get _too_ hurt, did you?"

"I mean I did... But I think a lot of it was a lot of loss of blood. My arm is still broken, and I bet my ribs are still tender, and I still have a fucking headache, but..." He smiled a reassuring, and trademark cocky smile, "I'll live."

She laughed to herself, and nodded, "Good... So then I might be able to get you out of here at visiting hours tomorrow..."

"Excellent..." He smirked, "I hate hospitals. They're too white, and too artificial."

She nodded quickly and animatedly in response, "Agreed!"

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

She nodded, "I'll work on getting a space together at my apartment for you, so you can stay there... We probably don't want it to leak back to Cole that you're out of here and stuff... He won't come back to check, but we can't really trust that redhead kid of yours in your band..." She shook her head, "Jack Spicer is his name, right?"

Raimundo laughed and nodded, "Yeah..."

"He looks kind of creepy... Like he was evil in a past life or something."

"Ah Jack couldn't hurt anything, even if he wanted to..." He chuckled again, and looked at her, "But on a more serious note..." He began before she left, since she knew her time as an 'inspector' was almost up, "Thank you so much Lana."

"I have you to thank now too, Raimundo..." She smiled, and turned away, closing the door behind her.

_Perhaps this might work out in everyone's favor... Perhaps Cole will get what he's always deserved..._

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**A/N: Yay! The chapter is finished! How happy does that make you guys? I like this chapter a lot, though I don't think it was very well written. I hope you all are enjoying the story :D**

**Leave me some love!**

**-zesty-**


	18. 17: Frustrating Tempo

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: I seem to be on a roll with this story :D It's amazing what can happen when inspiration strikes!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it, don't wish I did.**

**Chapter 17: Frustrating Tempo**

_Kieko_

I cringed when I heard the piano in the other room. Frustrating keys on the poor instrument were being hit and abused, and I did _not_ like the way it was sounding.

Normally, she was a beautiful pianist, who flowed with the music so gracefully it could put even a grown man to tears. But today, it was a horrid noise, ehcoing throughout the house so violently, I was sure some sort of glass was bound to break.

This issue was a big deal. When I had my doubts on how far she was willing to go for Raimundo, when I had my doubts about how much she _liked _Raimundo, I had never interpreted love into the equation. Now it was no doubt that she loved him, it was no doubt that she and him would have been made for each other.

At first I was skeptical about Cole's report. How could Raimundo - when he had been on such a straight road to recovery, suddenly be dead? Was there an unexpected drop that we had never interpreted? But then what was on the rest of that path? Perhaps it lead into Kimiko's road of recovery?

Then again, I doubted, from the screeching sound that made me drop the cake pan I was holding onto, she would ever fully recover.

It scared me to think that all this time we spent in America, she wouldn't actually play music quite so well anymore in her life. After all, the last time she had seriously played the piano, she had met both Cole and Raimundo... It scared me to think of how she could ever manage to play so beautifully ever again, when it brought such haunting memories.

Toshiro unfortunately, had gone out of the country, and was unavailable for the news to be delivered to him. Kimiko had told us he was in Germany, and she wasn't quite sure when he was coming back. I prayed it was soon, because it seemed he was the only one who could cheer her up.

She'd been dealing with Cole a lot more lately too. It scared me to think that now that wedding might not be postponed so far down the road, as she would have hoped. I don't think it truly mattered to her anymore though, as she seemed not to mind Cole as much now, because there was nothing left to fight for.

My mother, Omi, myself, Raimundo's band, and especially Lana were still going to fight though. At the moment, I wasn't sure exactly where the brunette girl who seemed to know the situation more than us was at the moment, but I knew that she would never stop fighting until the priest or pope or whoever he was announced them man and wife.

It made me wonder how long exactly this would go on before Kimiko snapped out of her senses... It made me wonder if that would ever happen...

??

_Omi_

Things hadn't been going very great lately. Normally, after I had met Keiko, I would have lots of visitors every day to the café to tell me what all was going on in the world I couldn't leave, on account of my boss. Sighing, I decided that perhaps today wasn't the day to dwell on that...

Now no one entered the café, except for the creepy waitress we had encountered just before Raimundo's accident. I always tend to avoid the counter, telling everyone I was going on break, whenever she went in. Yeah, I tended to take a lot of breaks during the day as of now. Though no one could blame me, I could simply use the excuse of my friend's death, though I didn't know him very well, to get out of there.

The only person who came through was Jack. He was trying to find some comfort from _anyone_ possible, because it seemed like the full information of his absolute best friend's death had not sunk in yet. I figured he was still in a sense of shock - they had known each other for something around six years, being best friends ever since. It would be quite a hard experience, though I had never gone through it myself.

Shaking my head, I leaned on the counter, watching as Jack passed for the third time in an hour, debating if it would seem suspicious of his mood if he walked in for the second time that day. You had to feel pity on the guy, even if he and I both liked the same girl, and would ultimately be competing for her in the end. Though that really wasn't the problem at the moment...

If I felt like this, surely people closer to Raimundo, such as Jack and Kimiko, were feeling even worse? It made my blood boil to know that out of all the people who could have called, it was _Cole_ who did it...

??

_Jack_

I still can't believe it. When I called Keiko this morning, to see if Kimiko was holding up, I didn't get much of a positive reply. I know how she feels - I feel the same way. My mind's been pretty blank lately. I just can't fathom Raimundo actually being dead. We had so many plans for the future - our band, our friendship, doing stupid things when we became of age to drink?

It was all a bit surreal...

I had talk to Omi a bit about it - who knew the short kid could actually help in a situation like this - and he wasn't the usual sucker who didn't want to talk. He didn't tell me "everything will be okay" because in reality... It won't... I shook my head - I still couldn't get over it.

Walking down the street again, I tried to avoid all the people walking my way. I assumed they were probably angry with me because I was walking on the wrong side - you know how people seemed to find a right and left side to go up and down on the street - but I didn't care. They didn't have a best friend who was just killed in a car accident.

He had been doing so well with recovery. The doctors even said he would probably wake up soon - fully, not just some mumbles here and there - and then all of a sudden, Kimiko got that call. That's where it all went down hill for everyone. I mean - I haven't even seen Adrenia in the past few days, and what I have seen of Raphael hasn't been much better. They did know each other for a while longer than I knew Rai, though I doubt they had the same kind of relationship.

I figured then that New York wouldn't be the same kind of place, as I walked down the street, bumping into the umpteenth person that day. My plan to stay in the background wasn't as successful as I hoped for.

Again I found myself on the street of the café Omi worked in. I walked by slowly, debating on if I should even bother trying to go inside. I saw him out of the corner of my eye, eying me suspiciously from behind the counter, but I could only shake the redhair out of my face and walk on by, thinking maybe next time I rounded the block I would head inside for another chat.

It upset me - yes I could admit I was upset about something like this - that Omi and Raphael would be probably be my best friends now... They probably would be the only ones I could talk to about my problems - that and our bass player, but who wanted to talk to him all the time?

I closed my eyes for a second after a while of this heavy thinking, feeling the hot sun on the back of my neck. Looking up, I found myself, coincidentally, at the same spot as the accident. I thought it ironic how I could have walked so far in (so I thought) such a short amount of time. I walked right up to the tree where Raimundo's car hit, and placed my hand over it, trailing my pale fingers down the broken bark.

The tree would live - my best friend would not...

??

_Cole_

I didn't think things would work as well as they have. I have to say I was quite surprised myself when that plan actually worked. It really helped paying off a receptionist... Chuckling, and moved about upstairs, wincing every once in a while to the horrible screech of the piano disaster downstairs. Someone should have really taken that thing away from her.

I wondered slightly, allowing my thoughts to slip away from my role in the situation for a moment, how Kimiko could be so upset. Did she truly love him?

If she truly loved him - who was I to interfere in such a love? When I had done the same to my sister, seeing her so heartbroken almost made me tell the truth. But then, seeing Lana now, made me realize that I had done the right thing. She was more independant, cautious, and serious on life now, than she had been before. Though she had lost someone she could have been happy with, now she could find someone even better, right?

It was the same kind of thing with Kimiko in my eyes. It made me smile to think that perhaps she would go through with the marriage now... But then I quickly frowned again, hearing another mishap on the notes of the piano. I was such an asshole for doing that... But do you think I cared? Absolutely not...

I got everything I always wanted. Kimiko was an heir to a business that no doubt would be a good business partner in the end, and now it might actually happen. She was bound to find out the marriage was off eventually, but with Raimundo now out of the way, in fear of hurting his beloved Japanese girl, maybe should would ignore that and just marry me anyways.

At this time, I put on a sullen face and walked slowly down the stairs, my heart beating quicker as I tied down my true emotions to act in a role I didn't feel in my heart.

"Kimiko..." I placed my hands on her shoulders, massaging them slightly, before leaning towards her, allowing my hot breath to fall on her cheek, "You should rest..."

She turned around to look at me, her sapphire eyes still puffy and red from crying not too long ago. The piano seemed to be the only thing that could calm her down at the moment. But I was hoping to get some peace in Keiko's living room without that wretched noise.

I hardly noticed when Keiko glared at me from the kitchen, the cake pan in her hands about ready to snap in half with how white her already pale knuckles were.

The girl in front of me nodded slowly, miserably, and got up, walking upstairs for I'm sure, another episode of crying. I shook my head, my face feeling sadness, my mind feeling disgust. Anyone who could mourn for such a third world country Portuguese trash truly made me sick to my stomach.

??

_Normal_

Keiko glared at Cole, setting the cake pan quickly in the oven when she knew Kimiko had started crying. It was quiet in their house, yes, but it seemed to be more so when she strained to hear if the young girl was upset. She walked in the living room rather briskly, and glared up at Cole, towering over him despite her height difference towards him.

"Way to go you ass..." She pushed him back and slapped him, the sound echoing off the walls.

He stood stunned when she ran up the stairs to comfort her friend.

He would not get away with the smugness she could see in his eyes. He wasn't such a great actor after all...

??

**Sorry tis short. Leaving for the weekend. Must update before my ride gets here. REview!**

**-zesty-**


	19. 18: Yet Another Person

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: Wish me luck! Sorry for the shortage of updates School starts soon.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

**Chapter 18: Yet Another Person**

Ashley turned on the water to the sink, filling the pot up slowly and unconsciously, as her mind was much too distracted. She had heard that Raimundo, Clay's newfound friend, had died, and it made her upset. She knew that when she talked to Clay about it, since he was coming home today, he would be kind of upset.

They didn't know each other very well - they had only talked once, but it seemed as though because at least one of Raimundo's friends visited Clay once a day, they would have been good friends, had the whole thing blown over right.

But now, as she cooked dinner, relieved that he was coming home, she thought of how sad and devistated she would have been, had Clay died... She truly wondered how Kimiko was holding up. She was a woman of love and lust, knowing both, and having good and bad experiences with both of them... She knew that Kimiko loved him, but she didn't know how that would work. The story was a brief one, coming from Omi to herself and Clay not too long ago, and she had really pulled for Raimundo and Kimiko.

She didn't think that it was possible now... She only hoped that Clay came home soon, so she could talk to him and get it over with...

??

The sun-kissed blonde with tanned skin, almost permanantly darkened from his farmer's tan walked down the hallway, shaking his head slightly. His feet dragged on the floor, and he winced every so often when he moved part of his sore body wrong. That accident had been brutal. So brutal he wasn't sure he was going to be able to take it...

He shook his head once more, thinking of the people who must have died there. Of course, he wasn't awake for a lot of it, only the part where Ashley screamed at him to stop, and he not doing so in enough time. He was really glad she was okay - he couldn't believe that he had allowed her in an accident like that. He wouldn't have minded if it had been just him, but Ashley too? He wouldn't have been able to bear if anything _bad_ happened to her...

Now as he moved down the hallway, a slow process, nurses glancing wearily at him every so often, he turned down a hallway, memorizing the number he had been told so many times. It was _room 184_ and before he knew what he was doing, he pushed the door open.

Sure, visiting hours were over, but he really believed that counted for people who weren't actually in the hospital. His sky blue eyes traced all of the things in the room, himself receiving similar gifts due to the same tastes and even same people who decorated either room.

"Clay?" The brunette from the bed's eyes almost popped out of his head, the emerald sparkling with an almost misty happiness the blonde wasn't sure he understood.

"Rai?" He questioned, adopting the nickname not too long ago. Though he hadn't actually ever called the brunette that until that moment, he seemed to like it when he chuckled and smiled.

"What are you doing here?" He almost demanded, though the relief on his face was obvious.

"What am I doin' here? I'm leavin' that's what I'm doin'..." He smirked slightly, but it dropped when he looked at Raimundo's upset face, "What's wrong partner?" He questioned, noticing his Texas accent wasn't as thick as it used to be - the thought he would allow slip for now, calling his father and or sister to tell them he was alright soon enough, trying to rememorize the accent even though he hadn't been there in over five years.

"I'm glad you're okay at least. I didn't know you were even a part of the accident?" He looked up, his eyes holding a hidden meaning behind his own words.

"Yeah. It wasn't as bad as you though..." He shook his head, and walked closer to the bed, "Why you lookin' so upset? I thought you were gonna go home soon too? At least, that's what everyone was tellin' me..." He trailed, watching the brunette's hands ball into fists.

At that time, a certain brunette walked into the room, her hair bouncing in a pony tail, a wheel chair rolling in front of her, "They gave me the whole nine yards rea - who is this?" She smiled at Clay, her beautiful eyes sparkling with interest, "Another person who believes you alive, Raimundo? Amazing!" She giggled, starting to throw things away from the bed that he still did not want.

"Who thinks you're dead?" Clay asked, a dumbfounded expression finding it's way to his face.

He was utterly behind on the conversation, but was determined to catch up. People though Raimundo was dead? How did that work even? How had that been even possible? He bit his lip, shaking his head, trying to find answers between the man and the woman in the room.

"My brother, who you never met, Clay -" he hadn't met her before either, but he would go with it for now, "- told everyone - Kimiko, Keiko, Omi, Jack, etcetra, etcetra, that he was dead..." She shook her head, "They all ate it up, considering I'm the only one who knows that he's really a jack ass out to kill every romance in the world..." She laughed lightly, as though chortling at the ironicy of the situation at hand.

"So... You and Kim?" He didn't even really need to explain.

"As of right now, she is still engaged to Cole, and she's going to get married to him. I'm not around anymore, her father needs the help, she's upset so I hear, and what else is there to stop her?" He questioned with a shrug of his shoulders, yanking at the clothes the girl had bought for him, and slowly standing, the back of his hospital gown towards the wall, pulling the boxers and pants on first.

Slowly shucking off the gown, he pulled a black T-shirt over his head, flexing slightly to test the soreness of his muscles. Clay, from the corner of his eyes, could see the relatively noticable wince he gave when he tried to adjust it to his liking.

The blonde shook his head, "There has to be something to do."

"There is a way..." Lana said quietly from the corner of the room, smiling to herself as she worked quickly to load things up into a large bag she had brought with her.

"What?" Raimundo turned around, not being informed on this part of the plan any time before.

"I just thought of it now..." She smiled wider then, the innocently scheming smile turning into a wicked grin, "Clay could help us!"

"Me?" He asked, his mouth slightly ajar. He didn't think he would be good for anything in a situation as dramafied as this. He was a simple man, who loved his girlfriend, thought only of succeeding in life for her benefit, and new nothing but a small comforting life with no action truly involved.

"Someone would suspect it..." She smiled, her plan going full throttle now in her mind "If I were the one to try and promote Kimiko so hard not to marry Cole. If I were the one to be there to comfort her. But Clay..." She shook her head, narrowing her eyes in a scheming fashion, "You're a big, adorable guy..." She shrugged, hoping he wasn't too offended as her hands moved over more cards and chocolates to throw in the bag, "No one would suspect a thing if a new friend of hers decided to come around and try and help her out."

"You mean..." He trailed slightly, blinking in confusion, "You..." He started again only to stop, the idea really dawning upon him now. "Are you saying you want me to keep Kimiko and Cole away from each other?"

"In a round about way yes..." She chuckled, watching the faces of bewilderment on the two men's faces. "You see... If you can't do that... At least put it in the idea in Kimiko's head that she could still be happy without Cole..." She nodded determinedly, and they really couldn't doubt her when it came to her being absolutely correct on her assumption.

"I really hope that'll work..." Raimundo mumbled, shifting again in the shirt before helping Lana to put some of the things in the bag.

Clay hadn't really even agreed to it, but he ended up leaving the hospital with the two of them, so they could talk more on what they were about to do. Biting his lip, he really wondered whether or not what they were going to do, after hearing the full story and Lana's plan, would really work...

He could only hope so...

??

**A/N: Okay... That chapter was short. I will admit it's not even over 1600 words... Yikes O.o but I didn't want to do anymore, because it leaves some ideas on just how Clay is going to fall into this. I couldn't resist the one pun on Clay being big - sorry... Old habbits die hard :D**

**I was originally thinking I would adore this chapter. In all reality I hated it and it was hard to write. Sorry for such a long wait, for a sucky chapter. I really hope the next one is better.**

**This will be my last update before school starts for me, which means that you are definitely going to have to be aware, and check back every so often, as updates will **_**not**_** be coming on a regular basis anymore. It might be a little longer or a bit shorter. Inspiration is key people and to get inspired, you must leave review :)**

**Thanks a billion!**

**-zesty-**


	20. 19: Strong Without You?

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown and am in no way making profit from my writing.**

**Chapter 19: Strong Without You?**

It had been two weeks... Two weeks since Raimundo had passed away, and Kimiko was not dealing with it well. The only thing that could absorb her time was the piano. It sang to her, even in it's worst moments, not tuned and when she was unmotivated to play. When she glanced down at her stronger fingers pressing the keys to create a beautiful sound, echoing off of the walls, she figured she had made some sort of progress.

Though her emotions were very breakable, they were at least mostly together. Sure, the glue hadn't dried yet, but piece by piece she had slowly tried to get over it. Kimiko had never been a girl to dwell on things. It was the same with her mother's death; the same with Keiko's mother's death... It was all just a thing that happened. There were still people who cared for her, and though none of them could be Raimundo, she had others who could take his place.

Her father was still unfortunately unavailable for contact, and she still had this seething desire to rip Cole's head off. But it was in a better way now. She kept trying to tell herself maybe after every unfortunate thing that had happened, everything that had blown back in her face for the fight of her love to the now deceased Raimundo - perhaps that was a sign she should do what others desired her to do.

Perhaps she should simply marry Cole...

All of her fingers, no matter what note they were on, suddenly smashed down on the piano, making a loud, disruptive noise to the melodic song floating around the room. The thoughts inside her head - where they had lead to - made her blood boil. She didn't want to marry _him_, she didn't want to deal with _him_, as it was always now about _him!_

She appreciated the fact no one really pushed the subject too an extreme though. She had had lots of support the last fourteen days, from old friends, and new ones completely. She found it slightly strange how much Lana and new found Clay decided to stick around. Keiko and Omi, along with the almost mirrored pair of Keiko and Jack, steadily grew closer, making her happier to be around them. She didn't want everyone depressed because of her - she wanted them _all_ happy, so that maybe it would become happiness for her as well.

It didn't seem like there were a lot of people around sometimes, such as the times she played her piano. Of course, almost always, she had an audience, but it was nights like these, Cole out on whatever business, Keiko's mother and father (there he is!!) attending some sort of an outing, and Keiko's forced date (curtousy of Kimiko) with one of the boys. It was peace and quiet where she could fluently play the piano based on her thoughts, though right now the playing had done nothing but stopped.

She was contemplating stopping for the entire night, but the sound of her fingers keeping beat once more, her unconscious mind making the decision to keep pushing forward for her, slowly her mood began to balance out again and she was serene. Though it was a time to think, she didn't particularly want to stress herself out...

Slowly her thoughts drifted, in general, to her music. She sighed contently when she thought how easy her life was not even three months ago. Of course, she had still been in school, still been the best in her class, and her life had completely dedicated to the piano. She had her best friend and her father, and her instrument and that's all she needed. But suddenly, love found its way into her life, and it began to shoot downhill for the worst. It was no fun ride being in the wagon.

She had certainly not maintained a hold on the music she had before her. Of course she was still as excellent as ever, but every day she would walk by the piano... and it would taunt her simply because that was the night she had actually met Raimundo. That was the night she had completely fell in love with him, although she hadn't known it at the time... That was the night that music suddenly hadn't been her everything anymore.

_But it is still your everything - even when Raimundo was alive, was it your everything..._

She argued with herself thoroughly, recalling that if it hadn't been for hers and Raimundo's music... they would have never met at all. A deep regret and torn feelings began to swell in her chest. If she had never met him, she wouldn't be feeling the pain, but... wouldn't it have been for the best to love for only a short amount of time, versus nothing at all...?

That question she had no answer to... Now that one love was gone, and there was no more triangle, and no more confusion - it was a simple: you do or you don't - no in-betweens or decisions on just _who_ to love, she wasn't sure _what_ she wanted to do anymore. It was all so confusing and yet so much simpler at the same time. Shaking her long locks of raven black hair back behind her shoulder once more, she watched as her delicate fingers danced across the keys. It was a true ballet in itself.

The wind whistled against the window lightly, the sun set sending a glow over the mocha colored walls inside, shimmering off of the gold trimmed paintings and decorations, and settling against the crackling of an unneeded fire. The long shadows cast from objects in a rays light seemingly glittered with the peaceful dusk that overtook their shape on the walls and in the carpets, seamed into it, the stitching guaranteed never to come undone. The deep oak wood of the piano looked almost glossy with the yellow rays of light hitting it, the hue creating an easily identifiable mist of dust above the piano.

She smiled, her rosy lips twitching upwards at the sight. It was so beautiful, but such a collective little thing no one else would understand. Sitting up a little straighter, she allowed her fingers to fly across the keys faster, as she changed the mood of the music. It wasn't a depressing atmosphere if she didn't let it be, and she would try and be a little happier when everyone came home... even if it was fake...

Vaguely, in the back of her mind, she thought about the other reason she played the piano at the moment. A show. It was soon. And they wanted her to play. She would play her hardest, and she wouldn't fail to show people _why_ she graduated at the best of her class. She had to get over such a sad mood, at least for a little bit, so that she could function enough to play. It wasn't fair to herself, or people around her, if she didn't do what she had always loved to do.

She would do her damn best to play at the concert...

??

"Kimiko!" The cry from the man, his hair turning from a luscious black to a paling grey, smiled, wrinkles forming around his mouth and eyes as he squinted to see his daughter waiting before him.

In a great hurry, he rushed to her, and gathered her up in a huge, still being a little bit taller than herself. He combed his fingers through her today-blonde hair, and smiled, breathing in her scent. It had been such a long time since he had seen his daughter. His business trip was brutal, and at the worst time possible to leave his poor little girl alone.

Her shimmering sapphire eyes welcomed him back on their own, words not even having to escape her lips. She seemed pretty composed, for the current situation, her posture normal, and not slouched, but while she still kept up on latest fashions, and hair color trends, something about her aura made him feel slightly upset.

"Kimi, what's wrong?" He questioned, taking her hand as they walked to get his bags.

She smiled at him, snuggling her face into his shoulder for the second time in ten minutes, "I'm just glad you're home Papa."

He let a fond smile spread over his lips as he kissed her head, breathing in once more the strawberry that seemed to always be around her.

"Things work out at the most horrid times, don't they, Kimiko?" He questioned, grabbing his bags so she couldn't snatch them first, pulling a query out of thin air, asking her skeptically.

"What do you mean, Papa?" She rose an eyebrow, confused as to which events he meant and which he didn't.

"I mean..." He smiled at her, figuring she would know - confused why she didn't, "that... You and Raimundo could have tried to make it work..."

"But Cole..." She trailed, her expression even more befuddled than it was before. As they walked into the shining sun outside, the wind blowing against their faces, her gut became tighter and tighter, almost _fearing_ the answer she was about to receive.

"I called off the wedding honey, don't you remember?" Only after a moment's pause did she speak, and in a voice very unexpected at that.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She demanded, her anger flaring, even if she didn't want it to.

"I told Cole to tell you!" He put his hands up in defense, bewilderment flashing over his features at why is daughter was so angry with him.

"You told that bastard -" the rushed look of rage distorted as it dawned upon her - her father hadn't any clue that her and Cole even fought in the first place. "You mean - I don't have to marry Cole?"

"Didn't he tell you?" This time, her father's anger was raising, but she placed a pale hand on his shoulder, relief flooding over her small frame so fast she could have broken out into sobs.

"Papa, Cole and I fought way more than we let on..." She shook her head almost in despair as the information began to settle in her mind, "He never _would_ have told me..."

She allowed her hand to slide off of his broad shoulder, slapping to the side of her jeans. She bunched up the fabric at the end of her flary shirt, fisting it, and letting it go, then repeating the process again. She was shocked by this news, and now she was about to give Cole a little taste of his own medicine. The thing he always did best:

rubbing it in.

??

A snarl almost erupted from her throat when she saw him, sitting calmly in the living room - reading... Keiko was there, this time with Omi and Clay, pestering the blonde about why he insisted on staying with them... How dare he still use the excuse he was Kimiko's fiancé.

The slam of the door made everyone jump as they whipped around to look at her, four sets of eyes matching one, as she stomped over to the end of the room. Standing right in front of Cole, he raised a slightly amused, and almost _suggestive_ eyebrow, before getting a hand print etched onto his face.

_Smack!_

The skin on his face burned for a moment, the red puffing it out because of the force of the hit. He could see now the fire that burned in Kimiko's eyes - but why she was so angered, he couldn't pin point. Soon enough, she slapped him again, and then a third time, before he finally snatched her wrist, growling at her as he did so.

"What the hell is wrong with _you?_" He asked, anger filling his tone, wrapping itself around the confusion.

"You son of a _bitch!_" She shrieked, her face red with anger as she shoved him off of her.

She whipped around and stomped to the door, only to fling herself back at him and kick him and punch at him, even though she knew it didn't effect him in the state she was aiming and the strength she was putting into her pitiful, small blows.

"What?" He asked, bewildered.

"_You didn't tell me!_" She screamed in his face, slapping him again. Keiko, Clay and Omi stood by, obviously very amused by the whole event, though they weren't about to help her, or act against her. Keiko knew better than to get involved with Kimiko when she was mad. It was best just to go into hiding for a while - but when she was snapping on Cole, it was worth seeing, even if she did turn the conversation towards you.

"Tell you what?" He asked - almost pleaded for as she continued beating him up; though like said, it didn't effect him, he didn't like it.

"_The wedding was off!_" That's what stopped Keiko, Omi, and Clay in their tracks. The wedding had been... Off? The whole time? It had been off since before Raimundo died... hardly a night after the accident Toshiro had called off the wedding, and Cole had successfully hid it from _everybody_ for more than a month.

Omi felt as though he were completely stupid. They hadn't suspected a thing - with Cole's behavior becoming increasingly better, and slowly and surely Kimiko being able to tolerate him more - and yet they didn't see it was all a scheme!? Omi could have screamed - he knew he should have been able to catch it... And yet he didn't.

Clay thought this was great news to be spilt when he were hear. Right when he got home, he would call Lana or Raimundo. He wasn't supposed to spill that Raimundo was indeed alive, but he was around for the purposes of getting information and keeping Kimiko away from Cole as much as possible. Well his job had just been done _for_ him!

Keiko on the other hand wasn't joyed or angered... just confused. The only thing she wondered was very simple, and yet could allow a person to ponder over it for a very long time.

What else had Cole been lying about?

??

**A/N: I know this chapter was poorly written. I had no clue what to do with it - so I was just kind of winging it and I do apologize that it is nothing even close to the other chapters of the story. On that beautiful note, I'm going to begin to wrap this story up though I am still unaware at this time exactly HOW many chapters will be left.**

**You all have to let me know though - are you going to want just a bam ending? Or an epilogue to go with it :D tell me in a review!**

**Thanks again to everyone who's reading! You don't know how much this means to me :D**

**-zesty-**


	21. 20: Drop Of Rain

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it. Nor do I wish to :)**

**Chapter 20: Drops Of Rain**

The raven haired girl, decidingly leaving her hair black for the day, took the brunette's hand in her own. She was almost... _nervous_ to be going back to the place she had left, and quite frankly she wasn't sure if this is what she really wanted.

Sure, she would be back where she belonged, in her own place, out with no one there. But that was the problem as well - what was once a haven was now something slightly scary. Since Raimundo's death, she hadn't been alone. She had lived with people, and almost every day she had someone around to talk to if she wished, or at least another human being in the household. But being back there it seemed as though it would be different.

Now that she was gone - away from Keiko's parents, away from Cole, away from everyone in that awful house (she didn't mean the house itself - just the atmosphere and stress) for a while seemed very nice. But at the same time, again - she didn't know if she would be able to handle it.

One part of her was afraid she would turn into a social outcast. Someone who couldn't function properly because she refused to do something with the people around her, pushing them away until they didn't come back at all. That really scared her. She had always been very social, popular, whatever, but now it seemed as though the ice of her life might crumble beneath her feet, if she pressed too hard. She was fragile, and to herself she could admit it.

"Kimi..." Keiko broke through her reverie like a person ripping paper; it made Kimiko jump out of instinct - even if she didn't mean to. "We're back..." She squeezed her best friend's hand, pushing the door open.

Kimiko breathed in the familiar scent of her long lost New York apartment. She couldn't believe after all this time she was finally free to come back to her home. She was even more amazed at the fact that everything was still in the same spot she had left it. Of course, she hadn't brought everything with her such a time ago when she packed to go to Keiko's parents' house to stay - and it was even more surprising to see her top-floor, balcony-clad apartment building not broken into, or rearranged, or having one spec of dust even out of place.

But, despite all of her previous troubles, a smile broke onto her face.

She was home, and she would sit right there and soak it in for the next however long it took.

??

"It sounds really beautiful, Kimi! It really does! I think you're better than you were before!" Keiko smiled brightly, encouraging her friend enough to crack a smile and keep playing.

"I really hope it sounds good and you aren't just lying," when she saw that her friend was about to interrupt, she spoke louder, "because I really need to do good at this recital... place."

"Don't worry Kimi, you're going to do excellent!" She grinned, her emerald eyes shimmering with the delight of a four year old recently given a cookie.

She flipped open her phone (put on silent before she came) and saw that Cole was even trying to call _Keiko_ he was that desperate to get a hold of Kimiko.

After the incident with Cole, Kimiko had been infuriated. First of all, she refused to stop screaming at people for a few hours. It ended up that no one walked to her for a whole day before she finally became a little more chipper. But after that, she got strange cravings for food all the time - something very unnatural for the usually petite, lady-like, Japanese girl. Then not long after, the depression of the still-situation hit, along with the joy of the newfound information. She booked it out of there so she "never had to stare at Cole's ugly head ever again". Lana had thrown a little party at a café downtown, celebrating getting her brother out of Kimiko's life. Her and Clay seemed especially happy over it.

In a nutshell, the time had been a definate rough one, but she had made it through - she was finally free of Cole's grasp, and now she could finally move on with her life... Even if she had to let Raimundo go. Of course, she didn't want to - _never_ did she want to do that... Without Cole in the picture, her feelings weren't blocked, meaning that she focused her heart on her feelings for Raimundo. Though he was gone, she figured on the bright side, she at least found out that she had true feelings for him that would always last forever, even if she did find someone else.

A smile crept onto her face as she began her new song, transitioning into something random that first popped into her mind. It was the same song she was playing the night she met Raimundo. Though tears threatened to brim her eyes, she smiled, her pearly white teeth a glimmering contrast to her rosy pink lips. She adored the way the melody floated through the air, even if she had heard the song so many times before. Today it was different...

Her thoughts strayed away from the music, and with that her fingers changed course. It was something she had never played before - simply coming to mind with thoughts about good harmonious sounds. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she imagined Keiko behind her, quickly jotting down the notes she was playing so that Kimiko would remember. She, being the Japanese girl's best friend, knew that this was when inspiration struck the most.

It wasn't long after she had stopped playing, Keiko in the kitchen cooking dinner (she still insisted she didn't trust Kimiko with anything flammable), that she glanced over the music and fell in love with another song. This time though, it was completely her own and with her own mood... She played it again and decided this exactly was the song she was going to play for her concert.

A smile graced her lips as she placed the notebook back down, tracing the collected dust on the top of the black piano, before standing and joining her best friend in the kitchen.

??

A pale hand slid down the light pink dress hugging her curves. She watched sparkles at the bottom glimmer in the stage light that crept backwards. She pushed a stray spiral curl out of her face as she took in a deep, refreshing breath. Her fingers unconsciously drummed against the wood of the podium she stood waiting by.

She was nervous.

It had been such a long time since she had gone to a show like this - and it seemed like so much had happened in her lip. Clutching her now twisting stomach, she gnawed on her lip, hoping the lip stick didn't rub off onto her teeth. That thought alone made her stop, and just fidgit back and forth.

"Kimiko - you'll be on in three..." The person with the headset - an adorable, tall brunette with freckles and bright blue eyes smiled at her, her tennis shoes turning slightly as she leaned down to talk to Kimiko.

The girl could only nod in acknowledgement, though she hardly heard anything she said. Nerves ate away at her stomach as she smoothed her dress and hair down for the hundredth time. Glancing up at the sky, she saw angry clouds rolling quickly overhead, and she prayed it wouldn't rain - that would just make everything worse. Shaking her head, she tried to rid it of the negative thought process it was channeling, and decided to turn towards the audience.

There were going to be so many people there for her that night. Her father was actually making a concert, Keiko was lined up to play a few people after her, Lana, Clay, and Ashley, were cheering from the crowd, dressed in something so fitting for the occassion - Kimiko envied them and their confidence in wearing something of the sort.

Omi and Jack, along with the rest of the band, would most likely be there too. Though Jack and Omi had their differences - not to mention spats about fighting over Keiko - they still stuck together to give the girl the support she needed.

Wringing at her dress, she heard her name called, and that's when she took her first step into the humid light - illuminating but also baking the stage. There was a sense of excitement in the crowd, but it didn't quite reach her. She couldn't exactly pinpoint it, but something about the aura of the audience was very anxious. As though they were waiting for her to screw up - or worse - something to come out and surprise her.

She smiled at the claps, it was forced though, but it didn't make it seem any less real for people who didn't know her. These people wouldn't even get close enough to talk to her... Why would she play for them? They didn't know her personally - they didn't know what music meant in her life... They didn't realize what great and horrible experiences it gave her.

She shook her head and sat down on the wooden bench, examining the polished wood for a moment, before taking oen glance into the crowd again, and started to play. It began slow, with high notes that were very quick and airy. Then it began to get stronger, though still with high, soprano-like notes, before the msuic slowly transitioned into the smooth, strong, and tranquil music she had created with her own thought process.

An ugly boom of thunder interupted what was going on, when a healthy chunk of people moved away from the stage, in fear of getting rained on. To Kimiko though, it didn't quite matter anymore. She would still play if it began to rain. As flashes of lightning blinked the lighting pointed on stage, more and more people decided to leave the park. Consideringit was one of the only places that you could be struck by lightning at (at a higher risk anyways), they decided a concert wasn't worth it.

To Kimiko, she had to agree with them. A concert where you had no idea what was behind the music was nothing to play for at all. She slowly began to come up with lyrics in her mind, though they weren't the greatest in the world. Soon other instruments followed suit, and not long after, she had a whole sympany playing in her mind.

What cracked her out of her thoughts though, was not the thunder, or the rumbling of people's voices, or even the notes played on her keys. _No_, it was the chords played on something much more important.

_A Guitar...._

Her head snapped up, and her beautiful image slowly began to fade. Though her fingers didn't stop, in fear of shattering the wonderful sound carassing the atmosphere, her eyes scanned the stage next to her, hearing what she thought she would never hear ever again.

The first drops of rain began to hit her face, trying to distort her vision. Though nothing could screw up what she thought was a trick - played out in front of her...

It was not just any guitar - no...

It was his guitar...

It was Raimundo's guitar, played by none other than Raimundo himself.

??

**A/N: Well... It took me a LONG time to write this chapter. I didn't know it was going to work like this - this story only has a couple chapters left. Sorry :( And Sorry about the late update too. School has me so crabby, unmotivated, and tired, not to mention busy.**

**Hope you still review!**

**-zesty-**


	22. 21: Reguards To Lana

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: Another late update. I apologize. This is the last chapter I do believe. I'm not sure though :) Then an epilogue :D**

**Disclaimer: I haven't owned it yet have I? What's changed?**

**Chapter 21: Reguards To Lana**

Those soft lips - that silky hair, those beautiful _eyes_. The emerald beauty of those specific orbs seemed to glimmer with everything wonderful and lovable in the world. The dread that had been haunting, the hurt that had been expanding, the horror of the life ahead of her that had been creeping up on her was blown away like a breeze blowing away the heat on a hot summer's day. So many things ran through her mind, and yet the only thing she could do was stare wide eyed, mouth repeatedly opening and closing. She was a pure Japanese goldfish - she was a new breed - why?

Because Raimundo was there in front of Kimiko after he had been announced dead.

Soon her music began to fade. Slowly - ever so slowly - her fingers dwindled until there was no sound left, and she was sitting there, her hair beginning to stick to her face with wet, her dress hugging her body even more tightly with moisture. The piano was shining with what looked like the same thing that captured itself in the brunette's hair, creating a spider-web effect, with tiny droplets of her reflection growing into them as he moved closer to her.

When she finally found the courage to stand, she saw his normal height. He wasn't at top shape at the moment - of course not... He just came back from the dead! But he was healing. There were no more brutal scratches on his face, and no more stitches in his head. His eyes danced lively, and he didn't look like his limbs were as mangled as that wretched picture on the T.V.

As her piece to the song ended (she noted it in the back of her mind), his guitar faded with an echo that had her captivated all over again. He could only offer a smile - enough to melt a woman of any kind into a puddle - filled with pearly white teeth, when he moved his guitar behind his back. His hair was also becoming plastered to his face, and she could see his strong arm muscles under the thin material of his shirt. His jeans were a darker color with wet, and his shoes didn't look in any better shape.

There was still an audience yes, but the foremost people were the people who knew, and the people who were just as shocked. But nevertheless, there were still the people who cared for the show on the stage the most.

A hyper, pretty Japanese girl, who usually had a pretty good grip on the situation, and knew just what to do when no one else did was there - at that very moment standing dumbfounded in a similar way to her best friend. She had joined the audience when a new music had picked up, having to see it for herself - a full frontal view of what was considered to be unbelievable.

An all knowing, sneaking brunette stood smugly, and very _very_ happy, with her hands cupped around her mouth - cheering the two on over the booming thunder and pounding rain. She was ecstatic, and had known it from the start - it was her plan after all. Although she couldn't have done Raimundo's part any better herself - she had to say she was truly impressed with the way the boy presented himself.

An also knowing blonde, forever-sun kissed, a missing cowboy hat from his head, stood, pleased with the situation. He was more of a background character, although he had to say he was much more impressed than the brunette he had helped. He expected the reaction from the young girl, having a sister and all, but the passion of the moment, and the heavy tension in the air was a really nice addition to the whole mix.

Two dumbfounded guys stood in front of the stage. One was short and yellow, the other tall and albino. They both wore the same expression, no matter their differences. Both were shocked, and there was some deep rooted sense of joy. They couldn't believe what was going on, or the fact that really who was standing in front of them - was really standing in front of them.

There were others too, who stood, speechless and baffled, confused and disorientated but exactly what was going on. But in the long run, none of them mattered. They were the only two on the stage, and the fact that they were seeing each other again, both of their clothing sticking to their cold skin, not looking their best, even though they didn't care, was enough for them.

Slowly and unsteadily, Kimiko took a step towards him.... The brunette - her love - Raimundo... The moment she began to move he mirrored her motions, as though he _knew_ exactly what was going through her mind. In just short of an instance he had her in his arms, spinning her around slowly and romantically as he kissed her, his smooth lips pressing deeply against her silky pink ones. The rain ran down their faces, trickling off their nose and onto their conjoined lips, but nothing in the world could stop them right now. All in all, it seemed to be the exact perfect moment. Nothing seemed to be bad... Nothing seemed as though it could go wrong. They were completely happy...

For the first time since their relationship had started, there was no one and nothing standing in their way of being together. They could kiss freely and hold onto each other, their lives becoming more intertwined than ever, not being scared of who saw, or who heard.

Though it had been Raimundo who was hospitalized, with the pain and suffering Kimiko had experienced in the last few weeks, it was Raimundo now who was acting as her life line. She had to appreciate him to the highest extent - she had to believe that he was the best thing that could have possibly happened tonight - even if her whole piece was ruined.

Raimundo was her music - and so long as it kept playing, nothing else (literal or not) mattered in her symphony.

??

Raimundo leaned against the counter, cracking his fingers expertly without really moving. He glanced at the couch where Kimiko was curled under a blanket, still there from the night before, where they had spent the whole night talking as everyone began to stray away from her apartment. Then he glanced back to the matter at hand.

"Lana..." He smiled at her, his emerald eyes dancing, "I don't know how to thank you for making this all possible."

Lana could only smile, her own eyes dancing before she closed them tightly, her cheeks making them small when she smiled so big. "I'm really glad I could help you so much in the end Raimundo... It's funny we both met because you decided to play the guitar in the park that one day... Remember?" She questioned, her voice light.

He remember, as she moved through the kitchen, helping herself silently to some coffee, having woken up and come to Kimiko's apartment again to speak with Raimundo. He reckoned that if he had never played the guitar, he would have never gotten the amazing girl of his dreams.

A lot of things wouldn't have panned out as they had. And it made him ever grateful for his ability to play the guitar.

"Well..." He slowly started, speaking in a hushed voice so as to not wake the girl sleeping not too far away. "A deal is a deal. What do you want me to do?"

Lana looked at him unexpectedly, her eyes wide with a slight confusion. "What?" She questioned, her voice still small and slightly groggy.

"You know... Our deal?" He tried to jog her memory without having to go into detail. It was another day in the hospital - he did not like to recall such times.

"You're going through with it?" She seemed to be more confused than he.

"A promise is a promise..." He let on a small smile, his tanned skin darker in the dim light of the apartment, as the clouds from the storm last night wouldn't clear until later that day. "Just explain to me how to do this..." He nodded slowly and smiled.

Lana craddled her finger, wandering slightly why in the world she was letting herself get shot down once again. She had been engaged to this man once upon a time, and her feelings had yet to dwindle and snuff out. She truly believed she loved him, and watching the fake ring glint back and forth, still having yet to take it off after she had faked an engagement to Cole, to allow the attention to slip off of Kimiko and Raimundo, she knew she wanted him back with every fiber of her being. There seemed to be nothing stopping Raimundo from wanting to take this chance, but she was curious - would it really work?

Nevertheless, if he was determined to try, she wouldn't rest. It was what people who were in love did - fight until there were no other ways to do it until they could have their loved one back. If Asher didn't believe her when the story was coming from a witness of Cole's crime, there was nothing that would bring him back.

She could only hope for the best, and gave Raimundo all the information he needed. She wouldn't ask about how he was going to do it. She only prayed it worked...

??

"That's what I have to do for her..." Raimundo nodded, watching Kimiko out of the corner of his eye.

She understood he was watching, so he wasn't acting as sneaky as he had thought. But really, even with his eye on her, she let her natural reaction show. She was horrified that Cole really brought on a relationship end with her sister. It made her upset to know that there were more people who were suffering and not able to have a happy life because of the blonde horror she had been involved with .Shaking her head, she glanced at Raimundo, her sapphire eyes almost in tears. That was something he certainly wasn't expecting at all...

"Of course we have to convince him. And if we can't convince him - we beat the shit out of him until he believes us!" Her head strong personality made Raimundo laugh and kiss her head, pushing the dark hair out of her eyes. He watched as she angerly pulled things out of the cupboard, tugging from his grasp to keep herself busy so as to not break anything while he explained the horrific situation.

"I just want to make sure that that would be the right way to go about it..."

"I really do think so..." Kimiko slowly nodded, setting the last of her hair dying kit on the counter, and plopping down onto the floor, situating herself on a furry rug, giving a comfortable atmosphere for being in the spacious bathroom. "The best way is to bring both of us. Two against one, with the same story - different versions... It'll be good, and it will work. We won't let Lana down."

Raimundo thought she had a pretty patriotic attitude, for which he had to envy. He was completely torn himself - whether it would work on Asher or not was a complete gamble... But he had to try for Lana, and he had to have confidence in Kimiko that it would work.

"I just hope you're right."

"When am I not right?" She glared playfully. It was definite that her mood had increased so wonderfully in the last day that he had been back with her in her apartment. Though a lot of people still came around, just for short moments of time. Omi and Keiko would come, then a few hours after they left, Jack and Keiko would come. Lana and Clay dropped in a few times, and so did the band... It had been a very tiring twenty-four hours of cat and mouse reunion.

He could only chuckle at her question, assuming it was rhetorical, or was simply planning on being a dumb ass and not answering him at all. He smiled at her irritation, sending his mood soaring - he was so glad he was back... This made him all the more determined to be able to bring Asher back to the brunette who had helped him so much...

??

With dirty blonde hair, tired almond eyes, and a strong hand wrapped around a cup of coffee, Asher Wood sat in his office chair. He hadn't gotten much sleep in the past few days. Then again, when did he ever get any sleep anymore? With the way things when down a time ago, he was still pained thinking about the fun life he could be having, had he not made the mistake of letting Lana go.

Now he worked alone - the love of his life, and life of his love, lost because of some foolish things, whether they be true or not. At the time Asher had been upset, and confused. Lana and him had known each other for a while yes, but perhaps not enough time to really know each other or not. Asher had made the stupid, and paranoid decision to trust Cole, and with it losing Lana.

She had called him, cried to him, gone to see him - it was no use. Whenever he regretted it when he was alone, seeing her again pulled out her true beauty, and true innocence. Sometimes he would think that maybe it really was true, and other times he saw her, he knew he could never be with her, because he had hurt her so bad, and he didn't want to do it again.

Shaking his head, he chucked his pen onto his desk, watching it roll over and hit the phone. As though by some weird coincident, it began to ring at the same exact time. Trying to clear his thoughts, he reached for the phone and pressed speaker, not wanting to deal with holding the phone and giving the conversation any actual attention.

"Mr. Wood, Sir..." His secretary was calling him... she did that all the time when she thought something was important, but never was.

"Yes, Janet?" He questioned, glaring a whole through his dark oak desk.

"There are two people wanting to see you... They say they don't have an appointment..." He shook his head, his mood matching her confused tone, "In fact, it has nothing to do with work at all. They say it's urgent."

"Send them in... I'm not doing anything else - so long as it's quick..." He nodded, curious as to why people were coming to visit him...

The doors opened not long after, and a short, pretty, Japanese girl walked in, along side a tall, muscular Brazilian. He stood up immediately to shake hands with both of them, "Welcome to my office," he offered his professional voice, still in the dark about what was going on, "I'm Asher Wood... You are...?"

"Kimiko Tohomiko..." She smiled and shook his hand when it was offered to her. The difference was almost comical, though she had a lot more confidence in her voice than Asher did at that moment, "And that's Raimundo Pedrosa."

"Tohomiko..." He trailed, thinking about it, "Tohomiko Electronics?"

"Yes..." She smiled kindly... "I'm Toshiro's daughter..."

"What can I do for you two?" He questioned, confusion bubbling over the edge now, as to why such an important woman was in his office wishing to speak with him.

"Not too long ago, my father's company had some trouble -"

"Miss Tohomiko -" He was about to interrupt; his company had no money to give at the moment, even though he would love to help such a powerful company out, but she held up a hand to hault his advance.

"So... He set me up in a marriage... with that marriage came an agreement to help his company out... I was to be wed to Cole Brooks."

That's when Asher completely froze. He knew Cole. Cole was the one who had ruined his life, for better or for worse... Cole was Lana's sister. What were these two up to? Why where they here? He pressed on to hear more. "Please... take a seat."

"The very same night that Kimiko met Cole, she met me..." He smiled fondly at the memory, though the thought of the blonde made his blood boil, "and from that moment on she knew she couldn't marry Cole... But he was manipulative. He managed to make Kimiko move away from me... He even, the most recent event, lied to her about the marriage, it having been called off some time ago... And faked my death, preventing her from even knowing I was alive. She was going to go through with the marriage because she was so hurt..."

"Cole is manipulative..." The raven haired girl sighed, "But that's what we've come to talk to you about. Not about our story though, no not at all... It's about you and Lana."

Asher's body went ridgid as stone. So all of this was set up by Lana? He almost couldn't believe it.

"What we tell you was the truth... And it was Lana who asked me, in return for her helping to reunite myself with Kimi, if I could do her a favor... Ultimately it was me who came here to ask that you believe us... It wasn't Lana who was the problem. Sure, their family was in a lot of trouble with money in the lines of company and business talk... Lana loved you .She still loves you."

They sat in silence for a moment, allowing all the new information to sink into Asher's mind. If what they were saying was true, he had made a big mistake... But if it wasn't true, and this was all a trick... "How do I know this isn't all a lie?"

"How could Lana get us to do this... You live here - you must have heard about that accident..." The girl nodded, determination shining through her features.

When he searched her eyes he saw no lie behind those words, but if he made the same mistake and went back to her... He just wasn't sure which to do... He had a choice to make, and he had to make it quickly...

??

**A/N: Perhaps this won't be the last chapter. At LEAST one more chapter here people. It might be the epilogue, or it might be the last chapter, and then another chapter for the epilogue. I'm undecided - let me know what YOU guys think. Sorry it took so long to update. I had writers block and on top of that, I was waiting for two key people to review. But they still haven't - but I won't let you guys suffer for it :)**

**Have fun and please review!!**

**-zesty-**


	23. Epilogue: Who Said He Wasn't Right

**He's Just Not Right For You**

**A/N: Well... I had half the chapter done. It's gone now, so that's why it's taken so long to update... I'm starting it right now, and I'm determined to finish it, okay? :) I hope you guys still want to read the ending. This may be short - because I don't know if this will be the ending or if there's one more chapter after this :) Wish me luck!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown or any of its characters.**

**Epilogue: Who Said He Wasn't Right For You?**

Lana tapped her pen on the table. The clock behind her was awful annoying. It said the same thing every single day...

_Tick._

_Tick.._

_Tick..._

_Tick...._

The seconds seemed to tick further and further apart. She had been listening for so long, she couldn't even hear a tock anymore. Sighing, she let her head thud onto the table, letting a loud groan rip out of her throat.

Sometimes catalog shopping stressed her out _too_ much...

Standing up, she went to the sliding glass door not even ten feet away. She watched the sun's rays touch everything in it's path. The world seemed brighter - and why shouldn't it? Kimiko and Raimundo: the match made in heaven, were together again... Nothing - not _one_ person in the world could think of them and not smile. Their story was like a fairytale with a modern twist.

But Lana... In the end, what did she get out of it? Sure, finally putting her brother in his place. There was no better taste on her tongue than revenge...

Except for one...

Tapping her pumps on the floor, it's as though she waited every second for something to change. Kimiko and Raimundo had reported back to her that Asher had never given an answer. He hadn't said he believed them, but on the upside... he never said that he thought they were lying.

For the first week she was excited. She knew him... She knew Asher would come to her, and say that this whole thing had been a mistake. She hadn't even been hoping for sorry - she just wanted him back. Trailing her finger on the marble counter that was arm's length from her, her hopes from that memory evaporated as soon as they entered her mind, and she tried to grasp them - to cling to them for comfort.

A week after that, she figured he wasn't coming. It slowly dwindled - the thought of having him back. And now, two and a half weeks after he had spoken to her newfound friends... She knew he wasn't coming. She knew that Asher wouldn't come back, and at that point in time, she was even hoping that he dialed her phone even as a wrong number.

A knock interrupted her thoughts, and she grudgingly stalked towards the door. Thinking about how happy the world was when she was in dispair irritated her. And the damn clock wouldn't shut up. She knew it was _most_ likely people bothering her, asking for something or another - just like people always did to her.

But when she swung open that door she saw something she never thought possible. She _never_ thought that it would be who she willed it to be with her subconscious mind.

They stared at each other, Asher taking in the changes about her, and Lana just standing dumbfounded.

"Hey..." He finally said at last, allowing the toe of his shoe to tap against the wooden porch. His tongue ran over his teeth as he nervously waited for her reply.

She blinked for a while, before spontaniously kissing him, whether he wanted it or not. For a long time, they stood in each other's embrace, tasting the other on their tongue for the first time in what seemed like forever. In that moment in time, Lana smirked into the kiss, pulling back, and fegeining anger.

"How _could_ you keep me waiting that long you asshole!" Though she couldn't keep a straight face, she shoved him lightly backwards.

He shrugged sheepsihly, before fumbling around in his pocket for a while. He pulled out a ring... But it wasn't just any ring...

She gasped, and blinking her big eyes in wonder, she stepped closer to him, "Could it be?"

"Yeah..." He looked at her, tilting her chin up with the hand not holding that ring, so that she would pay attention to what he was about to say, "You have some angels, Lana... They came into me, and explained it to me... It didn't take me long to decide it all."

"Then why wait two and a half weeks?" She tilted her head, a sad confusion entering her eyes.

"I had a hard time finding where I put the ring..."

??

"Aaaand the song ends with a surprisingly adorable chord!" Keiko squealed, her eyes bright as she stood up. "You guys are _wonderful_!!"

Though Kimiko wasn't jumping up and down, her eyes squinted as she smiled, her lashes touching down on her high cheeks every time she blinked. It was adorable, the song they had just sung, and no doubt would become a hit.

A record session. That's where they were, and the band in front of them? Containing some of the most amazing people she had ever met. One of them being Raimundo Pedrosa - next rock sensation no doubt.

It was the song, the new one he had played the first night they had met, though morphed into a non-acoustic version. The people in the recording session, owned by Keiko's father (she recently _just_ found out) stunned at the talent they had in the recording room, and how it hadn't been discovered yet.

They left the padded room, and all came into the studio so that they could reply and listen to their song. Raimundo turned to the Japanese girl leaning against the wall, and took her hand, leading her out. He already knew they were amazing - no need to boost his ego even further by listening to how awesome they were again.

"Hey you..." She smiled, "Your voice seemed to be recovering well."

"Babe, it was recovered from the moment it was lost..." he winked at her.

"You're kind of cocky now that we're together, you know that?"

"I have every right to be..." He grinned, "amazing friends, and the most gorgeous and fun loving girl in the whole world... Not to mention a great pianist..." He laughed at her eye-roll, and took her hand.

Before she could possibly reply, Jack slipped out the door, and grinned at both of them. "Well look at you two... How cute."

She smiled, recalling a funny memory, "You know Jack, I remember when you were just some creep talking to me on the elevator."

"To think I was what started it all," he grinned stupidly, but still caused the two of them to laugh, "Hey... You know, after all of this... whoever was the one who said Raimundo just wasn't right for you?" He questioned, wondering the answer to a question that constantly bothered the redhead whenever he thought about it.

Kimiko turned to Raimundo, pecked him on the cheek, then grinned with pearly white teeth, and rosy pink cheeks, happier than she had been in such a long time, and definitely having more fun in life - thanks to someone who thought that music was supposed to be a passion, not a hassle, before turning back to Jack.

"Whoever said it, was definitely wrong."

??

**A/N: So sorry that was so short, but I thought it was an amazingly cheesy, yet cute place to stop lol. Thanks so much for whoever will read the ending, and whoever has been reading! I have another Xiaolin Showdown story in the works, can you actually believe it? :) If you want me to post it, then please PLEASE tlel me so :D**

**Thanks a million! Please let me know what you thought of the story!**

**-zesty-**


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